Left Behind Arc
by Shari Maxwell
Summary: Duo gets into an accident and somehow ends up in Edward's world.... EdxDuo
1. Lost

The machine whirred and constantly crackled with an intensity that seemed to fit its looming presence. Duo Maxwell, Heero Yuy, and Quatre Winner were all there to finally see the first working time machine ever built, and they were the first to see it tested. After all, Quatre had funded most of the project, and Duo and Heero helped build some complicated parts of the machines.

"We'll be even more famous for this, and that means a _lot_ of publicity Heero." Duo warned with a playful wink.

Heero let his arms drape around the smaller boy's shoulders and they kissed each other lovingly.

"Love you Heero."

"Love you too, Duo."

Quatre chuckled and tapped Heero on the shoulder to get his attention. "Hey you two, are you ready to see what our hard work has done?"

"Yeah, sorry! Sometimes we seem to forget where we are or what we're doing because we're such lovebirds, I guess." Duo grinned jokingly.

Quatre sighed, but smiled understandingly as he shook his head in disapproval. All three of them knew that now was not the time for bickering, but a time to watch as a new age of time traveling technology began.

A few of the scientists who had been working on this project had volunteered to test it. The three ex-Gundam pilots watched as they readied themselves for the process, but before it began everyone watched in horror as the main cable that connected to the scientists' computers began to explode.

Duo knew he was putting himself at risk again, but he couldn't stand the thought of feeling guilty of losing three innocent men because he was worried about his own health. As the others obliviously began to process; Duo decided he had to do something to save them.

As the machine whirred and the men inside realized the main cable was unraveling; Duo pushed out of Heero's arms and ran onto the platform to push the men off.

All Duo could hear before he left was Heero's desperate voice calling out to him; right before everything disappeared in a blinding white light.

Heero and Quatre stood there stunned at the fact that Duo was _gone_. Everyone had watched as the braided boy had disappeared into the light that was surrounded by small explosions.

Quatre immediately began to take charge of the situation, but Heero seemed to be bolted to the floor.

"I want to know what the hell happened and where did Duo Maxwell go!" Quatre yelled as he led Heero away from the still dangerous area.

"Duo?"

"Heero, it's Quatre!"

"Where's my Duo?"

"Don't worry, we'll find him soon."

Heero refused to listen to reason, and kept asking where Duo was. All Quatre could figure was that the shock must've made him temporarily insane. Not insane as in serial killer insane, but insane as in desperate insane.

"I promise," Quatre held Heero's hand firmly, "we'll find him."

Screaming, flashing lights, explosions, smoke, and…. Heero. All the noises had blended together When he dashed to rescue the men, but now Duo couldn't figure out where he was.

Duo could hear thunder in the distance, so he knew there was a storm coming. There were many buildings and he ended up right in the middle of an alley. And combined with his terrible luck; Duo could already see a crowd forming around him.

People whispered to each other and some were staring at him with wide-eyes as he sat up. Most of them seemed like normal city people, except for the fact that they're clothes were so _old_.

Duo couldn't recognize all the types of clothes, but he knew he wasn't in his time anymore. Which meant…

"It worked?"

Duo now figured it out. He was in a different time, but he couldn't figure out i where /i he was anymore.

Duo tried to stand up, but all of his body was aching and sore apparently from stress on his body that was either from the time travel or just the gravity.

Duo pondered on all the possibilities of where, when, and how he had gotten to this place, but they were interrupted by a lot of yelling coming from the back of the crowd.

"Move aside people! Military coming through!" Duo could hear the irritated voice over the crowds gasping and the footsteps of many people running away.

Finally, a young boy with a long red coat pushed his way to the front and Duo found the source of the voice.

"Move it or lose it people!" He yelled as most of the crowd backed up to let another man who looked _much _older than the boy, but had on a blue uniform instead.

"I am Colonel Roy Mustang and this is Major Edward Elric." Mustang introduced them both and them began to inspect Duo and everything around him.

"There was a reported "ball of light" over here and I'm thinking that you're responsible?"

Duo looked at the man Mustang and then the boy Edward. They didn't seem _too_ hostile, and Duo did know how to fend them off; so he went ahead and took a chance.

"I'm not responsible for any "ball of light" or whatever, but I do want to know where I am." Duo said as he forced himself to stand up.

Edward remained silent, but Mustang or Roy didn't seem to have any problems ordering people around.

"All right then, please come this way miss." Roy said as he turned around towards the opening of the alley.

Duo could feel his anger rising through him and couldn't hold himself back.

"I'm not a girl." He tried to restrain himself, but when Roy raised an eyebrow as if questioning him; then he lost it.

"Forget you! I'm not gonna go talk to some goddamn military man anyway! I don't have to listen to _you_ or anyone else in this place!"

Duo then decided to take a bad route of escape, but he knew as risky as it was it was still the only way out. He ran towards Roy and as the man turned to face him and begin his attack with a smug look; Duo slid on the ground and knocked him off his feet.

Duo decided not to touch the boy as he took off through the crowds. He could hear Roy yelling to catch him and knew that he was clearly angry that he had been surprised like that.

As he made it to what looked like the town square; Duo suddenly saw a man in armor and the boy Edward he had earlier encountered.

"Hey! Stop! We really don't want to hurt you!" Edward yelled as he posed himself for self-defense.

Duo quickly changed directions while almost falling flat on his face. "Just leave me alone!"

Suddenly, Duo had to stop because of what looked like _lightening _was crackling on the ground all around him. He also saw some kind of rock shooting up from the ground and desperately grabbed the edge with one hand as it shot away from the ground.

"Shit!" Duo exclaimed as he looked over his shoulder.

Instead of stopping, he swung his legs over the wall to where he was able to sit and figure out a way to get down.

He could spot Edward and his red coat, and he also saw the Colonel he had knocked down. Then, he came up with a plan to jump to the roof tops; of course it was a risky jump, but if he could balance himself then he could probably make it.

"Hey! If you all don't leave me the hell alone and get me down, then I'm gonna jump!" Duo warned them, but figured they wouldn't take his bluff.

Instead of a reply, he could see someone on the ground targeting him. As it turned out, it was a woman. Duo knew he had no choice so he readied himself to jump.

As Duo leaped, he could hear yelling and a gunshot; then he felt the bullet go through his leg. Even when he was shot, he grabbed onto the ledge of the building and tried to get on the roof but couldn't make it before he fell unconscious.


	2. Reality

Duo was groggy and his vision was blurry as he tried hard to concentrate on the face that was over his. At first he thought all of it had been a bad dream and that he would wake up in his bed naked and next to Heero, but his hopes were vanquished when he saw the boy Edward.

"Are you okay? You could've died doing a stunt like that!" Edward almost seemed to _scold_ him.

"I wouldn't have gone unconscious if someone hadn't shot me!"

"Well… we had to use desperate measures to catch you and _you _didn't leave us much of a choice."

Duo sat up and noticed that his hair was loose and tangled from sleeping on it. He was also dressed in some light green hospital clothes. It all seemed old-fashioned to Duo, but he wasn't entirely sure how far back he had gone into the past.

"Okay, I'm sorry for all that, but I want to know what year is it?"

Edward looked surprised to be asked and took a moment to stare at him in disbelief.

"Well?" Duo asked getting impatient.

"1913."

"1913! Are you serious?"

Edward laughed at Duo's shocked face, "I'm dead serious. Why?"

"What city is this? What country is this?"

"You're in Central and Amestris. Have you lost your memory or something?"

"No, but how did this happen?" Duo tried to stand up, but felt a wave of pain go through his body.

Edward helped him lay back down gently. He made sure Duo was comfortable and then sat down in a chair next to his bed.

"Why are you still here anyway?" Duo asked as Edward pulled out a book and flipped through some pages.

"I'm the one who's supposed to watch and protect you from any more harm. Oh, and Lieutenant Hawkeye apologizes for shooting you in the leg." He added as he found his thin bookmark.

"So, you really work for the military, kid?" Duo asked as he glanced at the book and took note of all the different diagrams and strange symbols that crowded the page.

"DON'T CALL ME A KID!" Edward stood up and sent his book flying across the room while his chair fell over with a loud bang against the floor.

Edward suddenly grabbed the chair and stood it upright so he could sit down again. He looked ashamed and he refused to meet Duo's eyes.

"I'm really sorry… Everybody always likes to make fun of me because I'm so short and I get really irritated with anyone who insults me about my height."

Duo grinned and put a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry, a lot of people call me short too. At least where I come from they do…" Duo sighed despairingly, but put on another smile for Edward.

"Do you come from another country?" Edward inquired as he watched Duo braid his hair.

"You could say that. Oh! I never introduced myself, my name is Duo Maxwell." He stuck out his hand and Edward shook it.

An abrupt knock on the door startled both of them. Edward hastily grabbed his book and tossed it onto the chair before opening the door to let in Roy and a blonde woman.

Roy immediately glared at Duo; remembering what the small teen had done to humiliate him in front of the large group of civilians and soldiers.

"This is Lieutenant Hawkeye, and she would like to apologize to you for shooting you in the leg earlier."

The woman named Hawkeye bowed with great courtesy before standing upright once more. "I would like to apologize sir, for shooting your leg and for causing you to be unnecessarily handicapped for the time being."

Duo laughed at her formal apology before saluting her. "Don't even worry about it! I've been through worse before!"

Hawkeye saluted him back with a small smile before leaving the three men to themselves.

"You know that it was a miracle you survived at all." Roy said as he gazed out the window at the light rain that had started.

"Yeah, well I'm good at that kinda stuff." Duo grinned, but stopped as Roy turned to him with anger in his eyes.

"You didn't save yourself. Actually Fullmetal saved you from the fall."

"Who the hell is Fullmetal?"

Duo heard a sigh from behind him and found Edward staring at the floor and looking guilty for some crime he never committed.

"My nickname is Fullmetal or the Fullmetal Alchemist…"

Edward didn't look up for a while, but when he finally gained the courage to see Duo's expression of expected disgust or hatred; he only saw confusion.

"What's an alchemist?"


	3. Origin

They had already gone over the same things about _twenty_ times with Duo about alchemists and alchemy. He still didn't seem to get it though, and it was beginning to annoy Edward.

Duo was cute, Edward had admitted to himself, but so damn stupid! You could tell the guy the same thing over and over and he'll never seem to remember a word.

"How about I tell you tomorrow?" Edward suggested as Duo's puzzled look never left his face.

Duo smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I'm still kind of out there, ya know?"

Edward could see Duo was contemplating all the information he had been told and also about something else; maybe someone else. He knew he shouldn't have gotten his hopes up for a guy like _him_.

Duo was young, lean, and very cute. Men and women alike would probably die just to be with him. The thought of that made Edward feel wounded and rejected, but he knew Duo could never find out about this crush.

"It's getting kind of late anyway, so is there anything you need before bed?" Edward asked as he got up.

"No, but tomorrow, could you also tell me about the "ball of light" I came from?" Duo asked with a hidden sadness in his voice.

Edward smiled and nodded his head before opening the door, "I'm going to get a glass of water and grab a pillow and blanket to sleep on the couch. Promise me you won't run away."

"I promise."

The next morning, Edward woke up and found Duo staring out the window. His amethyst eyes glowed an almost ominous color as the sunlight streaming through the trees hit them at an odd angle.

Duo didn't seem to notice that Edward was awake at all, but appeared to be interested in the world outside the hospital. The world he hadn't gotten a chance to see yet.

Duo suddenly whipped his head around to look at Edward. Edward could now see that Duo was holding a photograph in his hand, but trying very hard to conceal it.

"Good morning, Ed!" Duo grinned and discreetly slid the photograph under his pillow.

"Good morning Duo. Are you hungry?" Edward asked as he began to stretch out his cramped muscles.

He'd have to remember not to sleep on the little couch _ever _again. It was too tiny of a bed and the cushions weren't soft at all. It felt like hell trying to sleep on that thing all night, and Ed decided he'd get himself an extra mattress later.

The most important thing to do right now was get Duo some food. Ed headed toward the cafeteria where he met up with Lieutenant Colonel Hughes.

"Hey there Ed! I've got some new pictures of my darling Elysia!" Hughes grabbed a picture from his pocket and shoved it into to Edward's face.

"You've shown me that picture at least three hundred times before, you do know that right?" Edward asked as he carefully pushed the picture away from his face.

Hughes started to follow him as he went to the man serving the food. He gathered up some bacon, eggs, sausage, and a glass of orange juice for Duo, and hoped that he would like it.

Hughes watched him with a suspicion on his face the whole time Edward was gathering the food. Apparently, he saw through the assisting the temporarily handicapped, and could see how much Ed really liked this stranger.

"Hey Ed, why don't I go with and get acquainted with this new guy?"

"Uh, sure." Edward tried to conceal his anxiousness at the fact that Hughes was acting like a father with their daughter and her first boyfriend.

Ed knocked on the door and heard a faint, "Come in!" from the other side.

Hughes opened the door and let Edward walk in first; then he quietly followed. Duo was still in his same green hospital clothes and still in bed where he had been.

"Thanks for the food Ed!" Duo smiled and reached for the tray, and then he finally noticed Hughes. "Hi there! My name is Duo Maxwell! Are you a friend of Edward's?"

Hughes smiled at Duo's charm, "Yes I am. My name is Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, pleasure to meet you Mr. Maxwell."

"Oh, just call me Duo. I hate all that formal crap."

"Okay then, Duo." Hughes winked at Ed as Duo began to eat.

"I think I finally understand everything!" Duo exclaimed; finally happy he knew what was what in this new place and time.

Edward shut his book and put it on the nightstand next to Duo's bed. He knew he wouldn't be around Duo forever, so Ed finally got the nerve to ask him the question that had bothered him all day.

"Duo, who was in that photograph? I mean the one under your pillow."

Duo looked uncertain of what to say or do for a moment, but then he suddenly looked like his happy-go-lucky self again.

"It's a picture of me and my friends from the war."

Duo grabbed the photo and let Edward look over his shoulder to see it. Edward studied each of them and their different physical traits.

"What are their names?"

"The blonde one is Quatre Winner, the Chinese looking guy is Wufei Chang, the one with the uni-bang is Trowa, and the one in the green tank top is Heero Yuy."

Ed listened as Duo said the name Heero Yuy; he could hear the affection in his voice and knew that had to be his boyfriend.

"Where do you come from?" Edward asked his curiosity at its max.

Duo looked distant again as he began to remember everything.

"I was born on Colony L2; it was a special metal environment they built so people could live in space. There was a war that ended just a few months ago and I'm a war hero in that war. I fought for the peace between Earth and all the other colonies along with my friends."

Duo took a moment to catch his breath, and to try to hold his tears back. Ed felt guilty for making him upset, so he made up a lame excuse so he wouldn't have to continue.

"Are you tired? I'm kind of tired. And besides, tomorrow I want to introduce you to my little brother Alphonse if you're up to it."

Duo nodded, but the solemn look never left his face.

"Hey Ed?"

"What?" Ed looked up from making his bed on the floor.

"Can you come here for a sec?" Duo asked with a small pleading voice.

Edward walked over to Duo and was surprised when his fragile looking hands grabbed him with an unbelievable force so he could kiss Edward. They stayed there, it almost seemed as if they were frozen until finally Duo pulled away.

Ed had a small blush and was completely out of breath. Duo looked almost the same, except he wasn't blushing at all.

"Sorry, that was kind of spur-of-the-momentish." Duo apologized with a small laugh.

"Don't worry about it! Goodnight." Ed tried to keep the nervousness out of his voice as he walked over to flick the lights off.


	4. Brothers

The cherry blossoms fell from the trees as Duo stood underneath their shade and he appreciated the beauty of this marvelous ritual.

There was a figure that moved with such grace it seemed almost unreal. Duo tried to get closer, but every step closer made the figure go farther away. So, Duo decided to watch from a distance; feeling that the person he so admired was now unreachable.

After a while of standing there and watching the unidentified person almost dance with the falling blossoms; Duo got the courage to try to see this person again.

This time, they didn't retreat from Duo, but as he got closer all he could see was a dark figure instead of an actual person. They had on eyes or any other physical traits except for the outline of a human being.

"Do you love me?" Its hand reached out for Duo and it brushed against his cheek gently.

Duo heard its voice, but couldn't seem to tell if it was a man's voice or a woman's. He felt his heart almost leap into his throat when the figure moved closer to where they were only inches apart from each other.

"Do you truly love me?" It asked again with more yearning in its voice.

Duo couldn't find any words to say to this strange person. He loved the person, but he also felt love for someone else in his heart.

"I think I love someone else too, but at the same time I really do love you."

"No, you love _him_ now, don't you?" The figure asked as it backed away.

Duo began to pursue the person when he was suddenly awoken by someone yelling. It sounded like Edward, but Duo couldn't be sure with the state he was in.

"I'm not some little toy you can keep manipulating Roy! I'm a _human_ being!"

"It's equivalent exchange. I give you information and you give me _whatever_ I want."

"Do I look like that gullible to you? We already tried it before, and you know it'll never work!" Edward stepped into Duo's room again with his back to Duo.

"You still owe me Fullmetal." Duo could see Roy walk past the door and toward what Duo suspected was the exit.

Edward turned around while still cursing under his breath and didn't notice at first that Duo was awake and following him with his confused eyes.

When Edward had calmed down a bit then he _finally_ noticed Duo was staring at him. At first he muttered a bunch of incoherent apologies before he said it in a clear voice.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that."

"What's going on between you and Colonel Tight-ass?"

"We don't have anything anymore, but we tried a while back." Edward explained while looking ashamed of his past actions.

"What about now? Do you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend?" Duo asked and felt an alien hope as he waited for Ed to answer.

"Not at the moment."

When he uttered those words, Duo could feel his heart soar, but he couldn't explain why he was so happy that Edward was single. Unless it was like in his dream! He loved two people, or at least he _thought_ he loved two people. Maybe it was just a small crush or an infatuation for a cute guy.

"Oh, I hope you find someone soon." Duo said with a grin.

"Yeah, I kind of have someone in mind, but I don't think he'd ever want to get with me. We just met anyway…" Edward said, hoping that Duo didn't catch on.

"Sometimes guys just need a kick in their ass for them to finally notice your feelings, ya know what I mean?"

Edward smiled as he opened up the window to let some fresh air come in. "In a way."

Duo glanced out the window and saw the same metal suit that had been with Edward the day they captured him. He was curious of who this giant stranger was, but thought best not to ask.

There was a knock on the door and suddenly the giant man in the suit of armor was in Duo's cramped room.

Duo tried his best not to look shocked at him when he heard the small voice he had, but it was a hopeless try.

"Hi Mr. Duo, my name is Alphonse Elric and I'm Ed's younger brother." Alphonse introduced himself with a small bow.

"Just… just call me Duo." Duo said as he tried to make his mind comprehend what he just said.

This big guy in the metal suit was his _younger_ brother. It almost seemed impossible, in fact, it _did_ seem impossible!

Ed intervened, "I know you're probably wondering how I'm… _shorter_ and still the older brother. I'll explain to you later, but for now try to get to know my brother while I go get us some dinner."

When Ed left an uncomfortable silence filled the room before Duo spoke at last, "So you are Edward's younger brother. What's it like to be Ed's younger brother anyway? Or what is _he_ like?"

Alphonse seemed to find Duo's questions really funny.

"Ed? Let's see he's reckless, hard-headed, loud, a little obnoxious when he's not the center of the universe, and a troublemaker. But, I have to admit that he is a good brother overall."

"Oh really? Some of that sounds a bit like me sometimes."

Alphonse moved out of the way from the door so if anyone wanted to come in they could, and then turned to face Duo again.

"You know, when you first came here and all those crazy stunts trying to get away from us, I wasn't too sure of you. Now though, you seem like a nice guy when you're not cornered."

Duo attempted to reply, but was interrupted when Ed walked in balancing two trays of food.

"Lunch is ready." Edward said as he almost dropped Duo's tray onto his lap.

"Thanks!"

Duo greedily began devouring the food and Edward seemed to do exactly the same. While Alphonse stood in the corner and sighed, "Brother, you're so rude sometimes."


	5. Childish

"That's a really strange story, but I've heard weirder." Duo shrugged as Edward finished up his story about how Alphonse is truly as suit of armor that has no occupant inside.

"You really don't care about the fact that we did _forbidden_ alchemy?" Alphonse asked, still a little too surprised by Duo's reaction to believe it.

"I just learned what alchemy was not two days ago, so I didn't think you'd expect me to be surprised."

The three of them had stayed in the room all day and it made Duo start to get fidgety. He had decided that today he would get out of this hospital bed and start his training again. Duo had been bed-ridden for four days now and he was tired of the same blank walls.

"Edward, is there somewhere outside where us three can hang out without any interruptions?" Duo asked hopefully.

Ed and Al exchanged glances, and then stared at Duo.

"You just got a bullet in your leg not too long ago. Don't you think it's a little too early to try walking around?" Al asked as he saw Duo already peering out the window for the place he desired.

"No, this is the longest amount of time I've ever stayed down before from one measly bullet wound."

"What do you mean _measly_?" Ed asked as Duo got out of the bed and began testing his leg's strength.

"I've been trained for quite a few years to do this kind of stuff. It really isn't anything new to me."

Duo tried to balance on his one injured leg and had success for a few seconds before the pain was to unbearable to continue. Then he hopped around a bit before finally grinning and started taking a few careful steps.

Ed knew from just being around Duo for those few days, that even if he told him no; Duo would get up and leave anyway. So, he opened the door for Duo and allowed him to walk out first.

He followed Duo and watched him and was amazed as a limp slowly started to disappear altogether. Soon, Duo was walking with a limp that was barely even noticeable.

Ed and Al both observed him as he made his way to the exit.

"How did your leg heal so fast? It's inhuman the way you're already walking."

"Truth was, in my time there is such a thing called _genetic altering_ and that's what apparently happened to me. I can't really remember when though…" Duo stopped to ponder on the subject for a minute, but then decided to keep going.

"What's genetic altering?" Al asked as it seemed the subject sparked his curiosity.

"It's when a person is able to manually change your DNA to how ever you or they want. It's actually pretty common where I come from."

The two brothers seemed to have a different scenario in mind; they probably thought that it was like opening up a person and playing with the DNA like a bunch of tinker toys. Duo wasn't going to be the one to confuse them anymore than he already had though, and let them think whatever they wanted to about the altering.

"Are there any kids around here?" Duo asked when he felt the sudden urge to play basketball.

"Usually some kids go play in the main square." Edward couldn't figure out Duo.

Why would he want to be around kids? Did he just enjoy their company? Or did he have something else in mind for them? Ed shook his head as if that would make the thought go away, but now it would remain until he got an answer.

He had always thought that Duo wearing a priest collar and _leather_or whatever that fabric was; did look like an odd combination. Not to mention the long braid didn't help in proving Duo _wasn't_ some weirdo pervert.

He decided best to leave the question for another time when they suddenly came out into the bright sunshine.

Duo stretched his arms over his head as if he had just woken up; either that, or he was just glad to be out of the stuffy hospital room.

"Do you guys know what basketball is?" Duo asked with a hopeful expression.

Al looked at Ed and cocked his head in a confused sort of way before looking back at Duo.

"We've never heard of basketball."

"Oh…" Duo looked crestfallen, but then cheered up quickly. "Do you guys play any kinds of ball games?"

Ed looked astonished that Duo would ask to play a child's game.

"Yes we do but-"

Duo cut him off when a few kids came into view and were kicking a ball of theirs around. Duo started running towards the kids with a big grin and shouting at them to ask if he could join in.

The kids seemed just as surprised as Ed and Al were, but they let him play too. They watched for a moment before Edward got a mischievous grin on his face.

"Hey Al, when was the last time we ever kicked a ball around?"

"Many years ago brother."

"Why don't we join in?"

"I don't see why not."

The two brothers ran to join in and was greeted by a laughing Duo.


	6. Blossoming

"You were barely in the hospital for maybe five days, and you try to run around outside and play with a bunch of kids?" Roy said in a stern voice directed towards Duo who was in bed against his will.

"And you two," Roy diverted his gaze on Edward and Alphonse, "you two permitted him to do that? _What_ were you thinking?"

Al and Ed looked ashamed (Ed not as much), but Duo looked angry at Roy for making him come back to the hospital room.

"I don't see why your patients can't have a little fun." Duo rolled his eyes and crossed his arms across his chest.

"You are _injured_, how many people much stress how important it is for you to rest and heal?"

Duo didn't retort and the Elric brothers showed no signs of disagreement on the fact of what they did was wrong, so Roy left the room to try and get control of his anger.

The three of them were quiet for a while, but brightened when Hughes' head poked in. He had a pleasant smile on his face that always had a fatherly charm to it.

"What's up boys?" He put a reassuring hand on Ed's shoulder and Ed smiled at him.

Alphonse also looked up from the spot he had taken an interest in observing for the past few minutes, and also had a happy look to the way he moved.

"Don't worry about Roy. He doesn't seem to get that young men such as yourselves need to run off some energy once in a while.

"Still... we shouldn't have been so careless to take off without telling anyone." Ed looked worried that Hughes would be mad; even though he knew Hughes never got mad at him for something so trivial.

Hughes patted him on the shoulder and then turned to face Duo. He walked over to Duo with some caution; as if expecting him to attack. Duo doubted Edward or Al would notice such carefully minimized body language, but he had been trained to be able to read any movement by someone considered a potential threat.

"Listen, I'm sorry Roy also got after you for getting that out of your system, but I must agree with him on the fact that you were injured and shouldn't have been acting so recklessly. For all you know, it could've made your leg worse than it already had been."

Duo raised a skeptical eyebrow before turning to look out the window. The sun was hidden and it looked as if more rain was going to come that evening.

"I'm already done healing. I know for a_ fact _that everything is already done growing back with maybe a small exception to some of my tissue."

"You still shouldn't take such a dangerous risk like that. It'll only take one small mistake to have you end up back here and staying for months instead of a few weeks."

Al glanced at his brother and was surprised that Edward looked worried.

"Lieutenant Colonel, I went ahead and let him do whatever he wanted to do. It is also partially my fault."

Hughes smiled at Ed and then turned towards the door, "You boys take care now, and next time I'll have _brand new pictures_."

Edward knew Hughes couldn't resist adding the last bit on as a kind of threat, but also just another sign of how much he loved his daughter.

It made Ed wonder for a second what if he and Duo ever adopted a child? Would he be as proud as Hughes was of his little girl?

Then, Ed caught himself thinking of Duo again, and how he was now longing to be able to kiss Duo. It felt strange for Edward to finally know what it was like to fall in love. He kept pushing the thought away whenever it occurred with a desperate hope that he could forget all about loving Duo.

At the time, Edward didn't seem to realize just how much Duo was starting to like him back.

After Roy had cooled down, he had given the three another long lecture on how they should behave from now on, and the finally left to Duo's great relief.

"He really does like to hear himself talk, don't you think?" Duo asked as he took a bite of his bread.

"He's right though..." Al bent over a showing that he was still upset with himself for throwing caution to the wind.

"You have to live life to its fullest if you want to die without regrets!" Duo suddenly exclaimed as he saw Edward begin to get a look of shame on his face.

"What would be the point of existing if we couldn't have fun once in a while? I'm sure some people like to be work-aholics, but _I'm_ not one of them." Duo grinned as he saw Ed's smile a bit.

"What do you think will happen to Duo once he heals?" Al asked just as lightening flashed across he sky.

Duo took a quick look out the window when he heard rain begin to pummel against the window.

"I never really thought about it..." Edward realized that he had honestly not thought of what would happen when he was no longer needed to assist Duo.

"I'm sure they'll interrogate me, and once they realize I'm no enemy, they might let me go." Duo sighed as more lightening cracked with the booming unison of thunder.

Ed tried to picture the military just letting Duo walk out from there without any problems whatsoever, but couldn't seem to picture it happening as he wished it would. Instead of a happy image of where Duo would walk out unharmed; Ed imagined that he would most likely be harassed by the military for a long time until they knew exactly where Duo was from and what he had to do with that giant "ball of light" he appeared from.

"Somehow," Edward said with a look of regret, "I don't think it'll happen."


	7. Stealth

Heero had grown more and more depressed about the disappearance of Duo that he resorted to gazing at a virtual image of them together on one of their first few dates. Duo had a big grin on his faced with his arm draped around Heero's shoulders, and Heero looked like he always used to; a frown and no expression.

He regretted how he used to act towards Duo before he had finally realized he couldn't live without him. It had limited their time together, and now Duo might be gone for good.

Quatre had been working hard for the past week on trying to fix the machine, but was still having some kind of problem. He missed Duo terribly as well, and couldn't stand not trying to help his scientists.

"Quatre?"

"Yes Heero?"

"How much longer must I live without him? Will he ever come back?" Heero stood up and walked away from the wreckage of the time machine and went outside.

"I don't know... But I swear to try my hardest, Heero. I swear." Quatre turned back towards the hardworking scientists and began helping to rebuild the machine once more.

Duo had woken up early that morning from a strange dream that Heero and Quatre were in. Most of it was all just a blur now, but he knew it was important.

Edward was lying on the extra little mattress he had gotten and was still dead asleep. His blonde hair was a tangled mess that resembled Duo's own hair, and his sheets were in disarray. Duo thought he was kind of cute the way he slept and couldn't resist the urge to touch his face.

Duo brushed the bangs from his face and was amazed how soft his hair felt considering how tangled it was from sleep.

Ed turned over to his other side and it seemed as if he knew Duo would do more if he let Duo watch him for much longer.

Duo reached to Edward and put a hand on his waist and could feel his muscles tensing from Duo's touch. Duo slipped a litter bit of his arm around the smaller boy's waist, but when Ed tried to resist him Duo pulled away.

Duo watched as Ed made himself comfy once more in his sleep and then remained still for a short while. After a few minutes of staying still; he started to fight his sheets which had almost fallen off of him completely.

Duo didn't know what time it was exactly, but he guessed about 1:00 a.m. He sat in the bed with his hands in his lap and noticed something move outside the window. Duo cautiously peeked over the window sill, but didn't see anything anymore.

He decided that he was just too tired, and saw a hallucination of someone creeping around the hospital at night. Then again, it sounded a little too strange; even for a hallucination.

Apparently Alphonse had also just woken up when he was about to leave the room.

"Where are you going?"

"Quiet! Don't wake anyone up!" Duo waved for Alphonse to come over to him and quietly.

"I saw someone sneaking around and I don't like it when someone's spying on me." Duo said and then grabbed his boots which had been left by the door for quite a while.

"You shouldn't be up yet! Let me and Ed go check it out!" Al watched Duo put on his boots and then check to make sure they were tight enough.

"Just stay here, you saw me already. I know how to take care of myself." Duo winked and then opened the door and closed it with complete silence.

Duo was very good at being stealthy and had no trouble sneaking down the halls without anyone seeing him. He reached the doors to the courtyard that was close to his window but when he opened the door didn't see anyone or anything.

"Now where did you go...?" Duo asked as he went to the area he saw the person last was.

Duo didn't find anything peculiar about the courtyard, so decided to head back up to his room. When he looked up at the windows at first he saw Alphonse observing him, but then when he looked up at the window above he saw a black figure.

Nothing had ever terrified Duo like this thing had. It had a big grin on it's face and you could clearly see it and it's giant yellow eyes. Duo was frozen to the spot as the thing seemed to look at him with great interest, but Duo couldn't help but be reminded of... Edward.

For some unexplainable reason, the thing reminded him of Edward.


	8. Monster

The thing seemed to stare at him for an eternity before it finally backed away from the window and out of Duo's view.

That _thing_ seemed to almost give Duo a heart attack with just a simple stare. Duo's only question was, what _was_ that monster? It hid itself so well in the shadows that it almost looked like that was all it was.

When Duo snapped out of his thoughts he noticed that Edward and Alphonse had both entered the courtyard. Edward looked extremely worried as he tried to make the best out of his bed-head.

"Why didn't you wake me up? You could've been hurt or one of the guards could've accidentally shot you!" Edward blushed when Duo stared at him.

"Ed... you didn't go upstairs for some reason, did you?" Duo knew what the answer would be, but for some reason he also didn't believe it.

"No, why?" Edward looked even more worried than before.

Duo walked around towards the front of the building and spotted a couple of guards who were having their own conversation. After making sure the guards hadn't noticed the three of them; Duo turned back to Edward and Alphonse.

"Let's go back in, k?" Duo could feel goose bumps spread over his arms as he envisioned that creepy figure that was in the window.

When Duo woke up again, he found Ed and Al gone. Duo got up and pulled on a pair of his dark shorts before leaving in search of some brunch.

He noticed how most of the men seemed to think he was a woman. One even whistled at him, but he got a nice punch in the nose for it.

Eventually Duo finally found the "mess hall" as Ed seemed to like calling it. There were a few hundred men eating at the tables, but Duo immediately spotted Edward who stood out like a fish out of water.

"Good afternoon!" Duo greeted Ed by yelling in his ear.

Ed looked like he would strangle Duo until he really figured out who he was. "It's just you Duo... Why are you up?"

Duo scooted next to Edward and noticed he seemed a little embarrassed because they were so close.

"I should go get you some food." Ed quickly got up and made his way towards the chef who was handing out trays of food.

Alphonse laughed as he watched Ed's face turn a dark red. Duo smiled too, but his main focus was mainly on the little alchemist's _other_ parts. Such as his "cute, little ass", was what Duo thought.

"I think he likes you." Al saw Duo grin as a reaction.

"I really like him too..." Duo said before he realized he had said it out loud.

"Fuck! Don't tell I said that!" Duo ordered Al, but only heard laughter.

"It was pretty obvious you know. Especially after last night..." Al let his sentence trail off as Edward neared the table.

Duo could feel a shyness between them now and Duo for once couldn't think of a way to break the silence. Roy came along then and broke it for them.

"Fullmetal, you have some reports to do for me, and I want them by the end of the day." Roy smirked when Ed looked angry.

"You damn bastard! Why don't you do some of your _own_ paperwork instead of making everyone else do more!" Edward stood up and was about to start a fight with Roy when Al grabbed his arm to make him sit down.

"Sorry about that. He just pisses me off so much!" Ed viciously tore his bread in half and noticed Duo staring at him.

"That's alright, I used to do it all the time to... Heero." Duo suddenly looked solemn and stood up.

Ed reached and grabbed his wrist, but Duo pulled away with a sharp jerk. "Duo!"

Duo left the room and didn't even look back at Edward or Alphonse. The memorey of Heero made him feel like crying, but he held in the tears.


	9. Hope

Edward had felt bad when he made Duo run off, or at least he thought it was his fault. Duo seemed perfectly happy right until Ed started making a scene with Roy.

"Al, did I do something wrong?" Ed asked as they were walking down the hallway; back to Duo's room.

"Not on purpose, but I guess when you got upset with Colonel Mustang that might have triggered a memory of this 'Heero' person." Alphonse tried his best not to say lover, but Ed knew it right away.

Edward shoved his hands in the pocket of his coat and stared at the floor while they were still walking. Alphonse could see that Ed felt more guilty than he should have; maybe they he was really in love.

"Do you think they were... lovers?" Edward stopped as they got to Duo's room, and just stared at the door like it was a piece of art.

"Brother, it's no use standing out here. Let's go inside-" Al reached for the doorknob, but Edward caught his hand and gave him the sign to be quiet.

Al listened intently for whatever Ed was listening too, and finally heard soft sobbing and somebody talking. He guessed it was Duo from the way Edward wanted to hear everything so badly.

Duo couldn't stop himself from crying, but knew he would have to sooner or later.

"Why did I to be the one to end up in this fucking place?" Duo could see the corner of his photo sticking out from under the pillow.

He snatched it and held it close to his heart. "Please help me! Why is it I always have to suffer?"

It took Duo a while before he noticed there was a shadow on the outside of the door.

"I don't like eavesdroppers, so please get in here or go away."

Ed's head poked in and looked at him apologetically before coming in all the way. Alphonse followed him, and then closed the door quickly.

Everyone was silent before Edward tried to speak first.

"Listen, Duo, I'm really sorry about what I did." He looked up hoping to see the same grin that had been plastered onto Duo's face.

Duo wasn't frowning, but he didn't look angry at Ed. Just a little upset, and depressed.

"It... it wasn't anything you did intentionally... A lot of things remind me of Heero now that we're apart... I'm the one who should apologize for what I did..." Duo finished lamely, or at least he thought was a lame apology until Ed's lips were suddenly pressed hard against his.

Duo kissed Edward back, but when Ed tried to crawl into his bed; that was when he stopped him.

"Ed, I..." Another one of the rarest moments when Duo was found speechless.

Edward stepped back and was blushing dark red again when Alphonse grabbed his arm and pulled him into the hallway.

"Brother, you did it!" Al hugged him and congradulated him like he had passed an exam with flying colors; not kissed another guy right in front of him.

"Al, why are you doing this?" Ed took a breath when Alphonse finally let him go long enough to breath.

"You and Duo just kissed, which means you two could get together!" Al was about to keep going, but Edward stopped him.

"To tell you the truth Al... Duo and I already kissed once." Ed looked ashamed when Al didn't move for what seemed like quite a while.

"Why didn't you tell me?" His voice was beginning to sound like he was going to start crying, and it made the guilt meter Ed had hit top.

"Al, I'm sorry! I didn't know how you would react to your brother liking guys instead of girls." Ed seemed reluctant to admit his true feelings.

They both stood in the middle of the hallway for a few minutes; trying to avoid each other's gaze for as long as possible before Ed had to look into his brother's eyes.

"I'm really sorry Al... I promise I'll never keep another secret from you, but please don't hate me."

"Brother, I could never hate you for something like this, but I'm still a little angry that you kept secrets from me. "Promise not to do it again?"

"I promise."

The brothers decided to go back into the room and saw that Duo was smiling again; still touching his hand to his lips as if Edward had never left.

**Sorry so short! I was in a real rush to get finished because my mom wouldn't stop nagging me about mowing the damn lawn, so I promise to make the next chapter longer.**


	10. Dorms

After Al and Ed had finally resolved their issues; they finally decided to allow Duo to go outside to start getting back into shape.

It had turned out to be a bright sunny day, but wasn't too hot to be outside. Edward decided to go to the parade grounds; which brought back old memories of when he and Roy fought there.

Duo didn't look like much, but Edward knew he was tougher than he seemed. When Duo had first come here, he had almost escaped the military which rarely happened.

As they were walking out to the parade grounds Duo kept asking him questions. Most of them were questions that really had nothing to do with his upcoming training but Ed didn't care. As long as he didn't start getting to nosy.

"So Ed, what is Roy to you?" Duo noticed Edward suddenly look angry and then how he went back to calm.

"We... we used to be lovers, but not anymore. Can we change the subject?" Ed could feel a few tears well up, but he made sure to discreetly brush them away.

"You never told me much about that "ball of light" I came from, or what Roy was talking about when you saved me from falling the first day I came here." Duo seemed unnerved by something, but every time Ed had asked what it was Duo always started talking about something else. So, he just gave up for a while.

As soon as they reached the parade grounds Duo began inspecting them. "This is a good place… Does one of you mind sparring with me?"

Ed and Al shrugged, and then Ed took of his long red coat revealing that he was wearing _another_ long sleeve black shirt; with gloves.

"Do you always wear those?" Duo asked as he readied himself.

"Yeah, do you always wear leather?" Edward asked with a grin.

"Yep, and there are a few rules. Number 1, no alchemy; number 2, no weapons; number 3, you have to knock me unconscious to win this." Duo added with a smirk.

Ed nodded and they both waited for Al to give the signal to begin.

Roy, Hughes, and Hawkeye were all in the break room when they heard men talking about a sparring match outside.

The three of them decided to see who it was starting the commotion and went down to the parade grounds where the idiots were supposed to be at.

Edward saw right before the match started that Roy, Hawkeye, and even Hughes had come down to watch; along with quite a few other men.

He didn't let them distract him when Al gave the signal though, and noticed how Duo immediately rushed him. Hardly giving him any time to react.

Edward dodged Duo's quick kicks and then tried a few of his own. Considering Duo had been in the hospital for the last week, he wasn't showing any signs of weakness.

Duo tried once again to kick him, but then suddenly knocked Edward to the ground with a low kick.

"Shit! What is that?" Duo felt pain course through his leg once Edward had fallen over.

"Its automail! Prosthetic limbs, I must've forgotten to mention." Edward smirked when he saw Duo's face thinking it over.

"Alright then, I won't hold back on you Mr. Cheap-tricks!" Duo ran at Ed once again and could feel his adrenaline pumping.

Ed waited until Duo was close before attempting to stop him with a quick kick, but Duo surprised him when he did a sort of flip over Edward and then kicked him directly in the back.

Edward could feel immense pain as he broke his fall by doing his own little one-handed front handspring.

Many people in the crowd were staring in awe as they resumed the fight once again. As it turned out, even Armstrong, Lt. Havoc, Warrant Officer Falman, Lt. Fury, and the _Fuhrer_ had come to watch.

Edward knew he had to turn the tables soon, or else he'd lose always being on defense. Edward finally was able to punch Duo in the stomach effectively knocking the wind out of him.

Both of them backed off a few feet and started to rest, but before they could get back up; Fuhrer Bradley stepped in between them.

"That's enough fun for today boys. You both should go see a nurse to make sure you don't have any broken bones." The fuhrer smiled and waved them off.

After everyone had been sure Edward and Duo were ok with just a few marks from each other; they were allowed to go to Duo's new dorm room.

"Well this is one of the simplest rooms I've ever stayed in." Duo thought out loud as he inspected the bed.

"White walls, white sheets, two dressers, closet, and a shared bathroom down the hall." Duo continued and watched as Edward didn't seem the least bit unfamiliar with it.

"You can't expect much from a dorm room, but don't worry about your roommate."

"Why not? I could get some ogre that is so hideous I can't bear to even look at them or-"

"I'm your roommate!" Edward cut Duo off in mid-sentence, and was surprised when Duo stared at him speechless.

"That's great! So Al can sleep in a bed after all."

"Why do you say that?" Ed asked as he sat down on one of the plain beds and was soon joined by Alphonse.

"Because, you and I are going to share a bed!"


	11. Tears

"Why?" Edward could feel a blush spread over his face.

"Why not? You already said there's only two beds and it wouldn't be fair for Al to have to sit instead of sleep on a bed." Duo turned the sheets back on the bed and sat down.

Duo patted the spot next to him and waited for Edward to sit down. Edward sat down and was shocked when Duo leaned over and kissed him on his neck. He was also surprised by the sudden sensation between his legs when he felt Duo kiss him.

"What was that for?" Edward jumped up and took a few steps back.

Duo stood up after him, looking angry at Edward's reaction to the kiss. He walked out the door and left Edward and Alphonse by themselves.

"Brother, why did you do that?" Al asked referring to how Ed had tried to get away from Duo.

"I don't know... It's just I don't think _I'm_ ready for such a foward approach. He keeps doing things without even thinking about what I really want out of it." Edward sat back down on the bed and dug through his suitcase to find something comfortable to sleep in.

"You should apologize Brother..." Alphonse sat on the other bed and hoped that it didn't break of anything.

"Why do I have to apologize when he keeps getting these mood swings. One minute he's happy, then he's sad, and then he's angry. I wish he would make up his mind!" Edward got up and kicked the suitcase shut before walking out the door.

Edward knew he would apologize even if he didn't want to. It was like him to be too nice to others.

"Duo!" Ed called into the bathroom before coming in.

To his surprise, Edward found _Roy_ in the bathroom. Edward knew this was bad; Roy and him all alone where no one would find them. It was too perfect of an opprotunity for Roy to pass up.

"Hi Fullmetal." Roy grabbed Edward as he attempted to run and swung him around so he was pinned against the bathroom wall.

Roy used one hand to hold Edward's wrists together as he began unbuckling his belt. Edward resisted Roy and even atttempted to kick him, but Roy knew exactly what Ed would do. Since it was like all the other times Roy had done this.

"Remember, if you don't struggle... It won't hurt." Roy succeeded and slipped his hand into Edward's pants.

"No! Please Roy!" Edward could feel tears as Roy began groping him with an expert hand.

"This is payment for everything you and that _Duo_ have put me through." Roy said Duo's name with such hatred.

Roy continued his abuse on Edward without even a second thought. When he finally got Edward to moan; he decided to change positions.

He turned Edward around and made Ed brace himself against the wall. He knew exactly how to humiliate the small alchemist, but was interrupted.

"You fucking bastard! Let him go!" Duo had somehow come upon them and had a gun drawn on the back of Roy's head.

Roy let Edward stop and he fell to the floor with exhaustion. Roy turned around with a smug smile on his face.

"You wouldn't shoot me."

Edward looked at Duo's eyes and found them empty and devoid of all emotion. Roy seemed to have noticed it as well, but was trying to see if it was just an act.

"You want to ask the other hundreds I've already killed?"

Duo showed no remorse or regret for what he had just said. Roy knew he wasn't bluffing by now and lost his confidence.

"Now, get out and if you _ever_ touch him like that again... You don't even want to know what I'll do to you." Duo kept the gun pointed at Roy until he had left the bathroom.

Edward was scared of Duo; scared shitless was more the term. How could the guy Al and him had been hanging out with this whole time be _this_ kind of monster?

Duo looked back down at Ed and had already put the gun away. His eyes were normal again and he kneeled next to Ed.

"Are you alright?" Duo didn't even seem to remember any of what he had just done.

Edward couldn't believe that Duo could act as if nothing had ever happened.

"Who are you really?" Ed pulled his pants back up and stood up.

"What do you mean?" Duo stood up also, and made sure not to corner Edward again.

"You don't remember any of what happened?"

Duo shook his head and embraced Edward. Edward could feel Duo's tears and lifted a hand to wipe them away. Then he kissed Duo on the cheek which made Duo loosen his grip on Ed to look at him.

"Can we get back to the room?" Duo asked as he let go of Edward.

"Yeah... and I wanted to say sorry for what happened. I mean how I acted and-" Edward was cut off by another kiss, but this time he returned it.

When Ed and Duo got back to their room; Alphonse had already fallen asleep. Duo and Edward both crawled into their shared bed and Duo wrapped an arm around Edward. This time Ed didn't pull away; he actually wanted to be held this time.

"Why did he do that to you?" Duo whispered and Edward snuggled a little closer to Duo.

"He's always been like that, and that's the whole reason I couldn't stay with him. It was all about sex for him, no love, and no compassion." Edward was completely pressed against Duo and could feel Duo's arm tightening his embrace.

"Oh... I'm sorry I had to make you remember such horrible things." Duo kissed Ed's neck and found Ed's hand gripping his hand he had wrapped around Duo.

Ed stared at the window and saw a group of shooting stars.

"Look! Shooting stars!" Edward felt Duo sit up on his elbow to see them.

"You should make a wish Ed."

"What if I want more than one wish?" Ed asked.

"There's more than one isn't there?" Duo smiled and kissed Edward on his lips one last time before lying back down and letting sleep claim him.


	12. Truth

That night had been wonderful, just having Duo hold him made the whole evening so much better. Though something began to bother him about Roy's behavior.

Now that he thought about it, Roy _never_ acted like he did last night. There were a few times he was rougher than Edward had liked, but never such abuse. That was nothing like Roy, but last night seemed more like hatred than anything else.

There was no love, no passion...

Duo was still fast asleep and was breathing on Edward's neck. He could feel himself blushing, but he didn't move from the spot. It was comforting to just imagine being with Duo for the rest of his life; with no pain and no bloodshed...

That was about the time Duo stirred from his dreams and pulled Edward closer to him.

"Edward?" Duo mumbled and kissed Ed softly on the neck.

Edward smiled and was glad said _his_ name and not Heero's. Edward still didn't know Heero, but he felt jealous whenever he thought that Duo was thinking of him.

"I'm right here." Edward looked over his shoulder at Duo who was trying to wake up.

With slight hesitation, Edward kissed Duo on the lips.

"I have to tell you something Edward..." Duo propped himself up on one elbow while still leaving his other arm around Edward's waist.

Edward could feel himself getting nervous and knew what was coming. He would be rejected again... Just as he had done to Roy when he asked to patch their relationship.

"What is it?" Ed could feel some tears that hadn't fallen, but were waiting until Duo said what he was going to say first.

"I love you. I can't deny the feelings any more than I could deny them when I feel in love with Heero." Duo put one leg over Edward and made him roll onto his back.

Edward could feel his tears, but they weren't sad... they were happy. Tears you cry when you're so happy and can't believe what happened; those were the tears he cried.

Duo didn't understand it though and asked Edward with concern, "Why are you crying?"

He gently wiped the tears away and kissed Ed's forehead. Then he paused and waited until Edward answered.

"I'm the happiest person in the world right now... I could bet you _anything_ that I am." Edward smiled and Duo smiled back.

This was the kind of love Edward had always dreamed of, and had now finally attained then.

Quatre and the scientists had been working for at least three days in a row now with hardly any sleep. Heero felt to despondent to actually do anything that would help.

It didn't seem possible for the seemingly "Perfect Soldier" to get into such a state of depression.

"Heero... Get some rest." Quatre ordered Heero and then ushered him onto one of the couches that had been put in the breakroom when the scientists had breaks.

Heero nodded, but didn't speak at all. He hadn't spoken for the last four days, and Quatre was beginning to get worried about Heero.

He had decided to call Wufei to take Heero and start helping him get better. Teach him how to deal with this overwhelming depression.

Wufei had promised to be over tomorrow so he could take him to a place where he could sort everything out. For now, Quatre had to try his best to help Heero get at least a little better.

"Goodnight Heero." Quatre waved a little as he went back to work.

Duo had made himself a workout schedule while Edward resumed filing some of his late reports. Everyone in Headquarters seemed to know Duo and get along with him very well.

There was even once when Duo made Hawkeye smile with a joke; a rare moment for anyone to witness.

Edward knew that he would have to keep their forming relationship a secret, but he had to tell _someone_...

The only person he felt he could really trust was Hughes.

When he finally found Hughes when he wasn't showing off his pictures of Elicia to someone; he took his chance and pulled him to the side.

"Look at my darling Elicia!" Hughes pulled out about three of the same pictures Edward had seen millions of times and attempted to shove them in Ed's face, but Edward stopped him.

"Please Hughes, just let me talk to you privately."

The serious look on Edward's face made Hughes frown.

"Listen, it's not bad news, but you can't tell _anybody_. Not Roy, not Hawkeye, not Mrs. Hughes, or anybody on this planet. Got it?" Edward saw Hughes nod and then continued.

"Duo and I, I guess you could say, _officially_ hooked up."


	13. Realization

"Oh, I see... So, have you told Roy yet?" Hughes slipped his pictures into his pocket knowing that Ed wouldn't put up with it for now.

"I already told you that you can't tell anybody. And I mean it." Edward sighed and leaned heavily against the wall.

Hughes laid a hand on Edward's shoulder and winked, "Alright, just don't be loud."

Ed blushed when he realized what Hughes meant by that. Although he couldn't find the words to say since he knew that it was good advice and not just something to tease him about.

"I'll be careful!" Ed called after Hughes as he went the opposite direction to go tell Alphonse what he was planning for tonight.

Duo was taking another walk through the courtyard when he noticed someone lurking in the shadows of the trees. The figure wasn't very clear, and Duo couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman because of their slim girlish figure.

The person didn't seem to have noticed him, so Duo quietly crouched low by the bushes that lined the walkway that went throughout the entire garden area.

As he silently slipped behind the hedges and made his way towards the person; he could hear slight mumbling. When Duo tried harder to listen, the person began to walk away.

An even stranger thing was that the only thing that was there when Duo stood up was one little squirrel that was furiously bathing itself.

"What a weirdo..." Duo stepped onto the walkway and continued his walk, but wasn't able to shake the feeling he was being watched by that thing he had encountered a few nights ago.

Envy watched as the braided boy walked passed him and continued on his way.

If that boy they called 'Duo' was out here alone; that meant that Edward was alone also and wouldn't have anyone to protect him.

Though, last night hadn't gone as Envy had planned when Duo had barged in and pointed a gun to his head. Although they both thought it was actually Roy who did those awful and terrible things to Edward.

It had been easy to make Roy and Edward distrust each other. All Envy had to do was have a little rough fun with Edward while disguised as Roy and immediately Edward began to doubt Roy.

Ed had hidden inside of his shell and refused to rely on Roy Mustang; making Envy's job all the more easier.

Duo would begin to cause problems if he kept meddling in his business; so Envy's top priority was to either split Ed and Duo up or to make him disappear forever.

He had looked everywhere, and still couldn't find where Duo had wondered to. After Ed had told Al what he was planning to do eventually, he had been sent to find Duo. Whenever he asked anyone if they had caught a glimpse of that long, brunette braid or the owner of it they all shook their heads.

He only hoped that nothing had happened to the person he had actually learned to love… Ever since Roy had first been rough with him, it was hard trusting others; especially believing they actually cared about him. The only person he knew and who loved unconditionally was Alphonse, but other than that he had been reclusive.

Though it had never occurred to him to try a relationship that may last, and whenever he had heard of anyone speak of it; Edward had just considered it all fantasy. Now, things might be different Edward realized; this may be his last chance at love.

The blonde couldn't think of why he was considering all of this now, but he felt he i had /i to tell those feelings to Duo.

"Mr. Elric? You're looking for Mr. Maxwell right?" A soldier saluted him respectfully as Ed impatiently waited for him to explain.

"I heard someone saw him in the courtyard and garden area, but that was about fifteen minutes ago.

Edward's expressive golden eyes showed more gratitude than his words ever could as he took off toward the courtyard. Calling back almost as an afterthought, "Thanks!"


	14. Rumors

**This is a really popular! It is way more successful than I had imagined it would be, and at first had even considered deleting all of it and giving up, butso many people read it and give nice reviews (usually) I decided to continue. **

**Hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

Duo had the feeling he was being followed by someone, and had gotten good at knowing the sort of thing from many experiences with soldiers in the war back in his time. Of course, Duo had also perfected the art of acting nonchalant until the he could corner his enemy.

"Mr. Maxwell! Sir, Major Elric has been looking for you!" A low ranking soldier came up behind him and Duo couldn't tell whether his stalker would reveal themselves or wait for another chance to pounce.

"I'm coming…" Duo waited for a moment before walking toward the door the soldier was holding open. Once Duo got to the door the soldier left him, so Duo took the chance to give talk to his anonymous stalker.

"Leave me alone, I haven't done anything to any of the people here. I won't pursue you or poke around where I shouldn't, so _you_ shouldn't be bothering me anymore. Or I _will_ kick your ass." Duo shut the door and went down the hallway that led to the library thinking that would be the most likely place for Edward to go to.

He couldn't figure why, but for some reason he _needed_ to see Edward. Not for pleasuring purposes, but just to _be there_ with him. There was an air that made him tense and suspicious of anyone who gave him the wrong impression.

Just as he rounded the corner, the blonde alchemist he had been looking for came running right into him. Together they tumbled to the ground and ended up with Edward on top of Duo with his knee right in Duo's crotch.

Nobody was really around to see the two of them in the embarrassing position, but nonetheless Edward was blushing madly while Duo seemed more calm about it all. Duo put a hand on Edward's cheek and lightly held his face.

"You look like a fallen angel with your hair in mess like that." He teased as the pulled out Edward's hair tie.

"I get the fallen part," Ed tried grabbing the hair tie, "but what do you mean angel?"

Duo grinned and allowed Edward to grab the hair tie so he could grab Ed's hand and bring him down closer to him. "It should make perfect sense Edward, because after all… you're _my_ fallen angel…"

Hughes stifled his laugh as he walked away from the scene that could easily be used as blackmail for the two of them.

Roy couldn't figure why Edward had been avoiding him lately; though there had been a rumor Edward absolutely _hated_ him now. All of this puzzled Roy, considering he couldn't remember doing anything wrong to make Ed _hate_ him.

This kind of thing would be bound to bug Roy to no end, and he knew it. So he decided to be tactical and find a way to approach Edward in a non-threatening way and talk to him. He figured the teen wouldn't have much objection if he was in a perfectly safe environment where no harm could come of him.

"Hey Roy!" Hughes stepped in and looked at him questioningly as Roy almost jumped out of his chair.

"What were you expecting? Santa Claus?" Hughes chuckled as Roy only glared at him in response.

"Hughes, have you seen Edward lately?" Hughes almost lost his look of fake ignorance, but managed to keep the secret sight he had seen to himself.

"Why are you so eager to see our little alchemist?"

"I've heard some rumors and I'd like to speak to him... Privately…" Roy clasped his hands together and Hughes knew all those rumors weren't true. If they had been, it wouldn't have bothered Roy so much, but Hughes had always trusted Roy not to rape. Especially not Edward….

"Roy?"

"What is it Hughes, I don't have time for pictures of Elicia."

"No," Hughes put a hand on Roy's desk to get his attention. "This _is_ important.

Edward and Duo were heading to the cafeteria for dinner when they met up with Alphonse again. He seemed worried about something, but wouldn't say anything about it which made Ed worry too.

"Let him have his secrets Ed, we all do." Duo grinned when Edward looked like he was about to retort but didn't.

The three made it to the cafeteria without anything going wrong and got back to their room without any trouble at all. Though just as they were preparing to call it a night, there was a light knocking on the door so Duo got up to go answer it.

"Hello-" Duo stopped to stare at Roy who had raised an eyebrow at him.

"You still stay in here?" Duo heard the jealousy that Roy didn't put any effort into hiding.

"Yep. Got a problem with that?"

Edward sat up when he heard Roy's voice and gave Duo a glare for him to back off. After Duo had gone back into the room, Ed pushed their visitor out into the hall and closed the door so they wouldn't be heard.

"What do you want?"

Roy studied Ed's body language and noticed how tense he looked; like an a rabbit ready to bolt if its predator made any sort of advance on it.

"Hughes told me about…"

Ed felt himself grow angry at Hughes suddenly because he knew he had told his secret. That he really did love Duo, the braided boy who had come from nowhere had stolen his heart.

"Why do you care so much? There's nothing between you and me anymore!"

"What are you talking about?"

Ed stopped realizing he had misunderstood and was now confused about this whole situation, "What did Hughes tell you?"

"About how I supposedly _raped_ you last night."

**Reviews of criticism or comments are appreciated. **


	15. Suspicion

Ed just stood his ground and took a few moments to really let what Roy said sink in. In just an instant his anger flared and he lost all control of what he was saying.

"You always do this! You always play innocent like you've _never_ done anything wrong! I may be young, but I'm obviously not stupid! It was _you_ and even Duo saw you!" Edward was careful not to completely loose his temper and begin a fight in this tiny space, but he couldn't contain himself much longer.

"Edward, why would I do that to you?" Roy's tone caught the alchemist off guard and he was more surprised than angry now.

"Do you think I would stoop so low out of jealousy to do that to the person I love?" Roy finally did advance on Edward and almost trapped him against the wall, "How low do think I am?"

Edward was left speechless as Roy turned on his heel and left after that. Duo stepped out of the room and Alphonse remained in the doorway.

"Ed? Are you alright?" Duo put an arm around his shoulder and noticed Edward wasn't crying, but he seemed so despondent that Duo felt like just carrying him to bed. Which he did do by simply pulling Ed into a fireman's sort of carry into the dorm room.

The rest of the night had that same silence that made all of them uncomfortable. Duo hadn't said anything since the verbal fight between Ed and Roy. There really didn't seem to be anything he _could_ say to make all of this seem like no big deal. There really was no way, but Duo decided to try anyway.

"Ed, don't worry about that… Anyone could've made that mistake… Especially since everything we witnessed or _experienced_ that night all makes Roy out to be the culprit." Duo's attempts were unsuccessful, so he put an arm around his waist and kissed him lightly on the neck.

> > >

This was a rare moment for Roy to lose control, but he felt it was necessary to get it threw Edward's head. _He didn't rape him or anybody else._

Hughes was still in his office, apparently interested in the moon that night. This was something unusual for Hughes to do especially being the guy he was; he was smart, but nothing like the moon had ever once interested him.

"How did it go Roy?" As Hughes turned Roy noticed something even stranger about the man who was usually optimistic even in the worst of times.

"Fine Hughes, both Edward and I came to an understanding and have decided we must seek out this imposter who _did_ try to rape Ed." Roy lied while trying to make it sound as convincing as possible; if it really was Hughes he would be able to see straight through it.

"Really? Roy, that doesn't seem to likely to happen… If you think about how he's been avoiding you, I don't think he'd just forget about the whole thing and believe everything you say." Roy sighed when he found it really was Hughes as he gave Roy a slight tap for trying to lie.

Roy smiled almost sheepishly for doubting his best friend; after all who would try to impersonate _Hughes_ of all people? He honestly never did anything to make too many enemies other than be a part of the military. Then it suddenly reminded Roy; none of them had heard of the homunculi recently.

Though he decided to get right on it tomorrow, it wouldn't do him any good to go and bother Edward now that he would clearly not want to speak to him after their episode.

"So what _really_ happened?"

"Edward didn't seem to believe me… I don't understand why he has such a grudge against me. We used to be very close, even just as friends but after we got together and then broke up…" Roy sat down in his chair and rested his forehead on his hand.

As much as he had thought about the time when he and Edward had dated; it had always seemed tense between them. The two had never developed the trusting bond they needed to completely give themselves up to one another, just friends had been better.

> > >

Edward couldn't sleep even after Duo and Alphonse had both nodded off. What Roy had said just confused him even more about what really happened that night. Which also brought back the subject of Duo's cold killing instinct he had witnessed.

Both of the people he cared about seemed to have separate personalities. Duo was usually such an optimistic person who laughed and made jokes, but all Ed had seen was a murderer who didn't have the slightest bit of hesitance in him.

Roy was always in control and never showed such urges before, but that night… If it really had been him, there was no way Ed would ever turn back to him. Then again, if it was as Roy said; what if it _wasn't_ really him?

All of this was going deeper than Edward could've ever cared to go when he met the brunette boy, but now that he had started to search for answers; he may as well keep going until he found them all.

As Edward walked back towards the room, he saw Alphonse coming out and looking around frantically.

"Al, what's going on?"

"Brother, Duo suddenly got up and left without saying anything! And you weren't there and…"

Ed tried to stay calm and think that Duo had just left to go look for him. It was a hopeful thought, but he knew it probably wasn't true at all.

**Any reviews would be dearly appreciated.**


	16. Vulnerability

"Heero's seeming to be getting better, but he still can't get over Duo disappearing. Now he's even losing hope that he'll ever return. What do you think?" Wufei's voice sounded worried as Quatre saw him trying to cook at the same time.

"I'm not sure… We've almost completed the outer part of it, but the core of it was the most difficult to build. It may be impossible in reality, but I _have_ to try for Heero's sake." Quatre's voice was full of determination and even his eyes became focused as if contemplating how to rebuild the whole core in his head.

Wufei smirked as he prepared to hang up on the blonde pilot, "Maybe, Heero _can_ find another love, even if it is not with Duo Maxwell."

Quatre looked puzzled as he tried to understand what Wufei meant; then all at once he began blushing. "Hey-!"

The Chinese boy quickly turned off the vid-phone just as the timer on the oven beeped to signal that dinner was done.

"Heero, come eat before this gets cold!"

The brunette walked in with a smile on his face; a sight Wufei hadn't seen since Duo and Heero had first announced they were together.

"What are you smiling about Heero?"

"I… I may like someone _else_… other than Duo."

Wufei rolled his eyes and served a plate, "You can tell me who after dinner, for now let's eat."

> > >

Envy smirked as he watched the brunette walk out into the moonlit garden. Everything had gone just as planned, and now that Ed was out of his way for now… this was the time to take care of that nuisance Duo.

The boy had actually wondered out all on his own, but the timing couldn't have been more perfect; especially since Fullmetal had left him all by himself.

"Who's there?" Duo whipped around as Envy almost lost his balance on the tree limb.

"You're more alert than I expected you to be, but let's see how skilled you are in combat!" Envy despised fighting unnecessary battles and ones he was sure to lose, but he was willing to test this kid once.

Duo showed better agility than the homunculi had first expected and was caught off guard when he dodged so many attacks. Even a few he tried with Envy hit him, though not on his _intended_ targets.

"You're pretty good for such a small kid." Envy managed to say before Duo tried another kick to the head.

"You're not so bad either for a guy who wears a skirt!" Duo could see Envy wasn't _furious_ at the insult, but it did annoy him.

Then he took advantage of the homunculi's annoyance and landed a solid blow to his head and knocked him to the ground. He stood over the fallen opponent thinking that he had earned his victory when Envy looked up at him with golden eyes that didn't belong to him.

"What's going on? What the hell _are_ you?" Duo's body tensed and couldn't move as he looked at those eyes that weirdo had stolen.

"What's wrong?" Envy took his own advantage and knocked Duo off his feet, "Don't want to hurt the person you love most? So many people are too tied down by family and lovers, and _that's_ why humans are weak!"

Envy was about to finish off Duo when he noticed Lust out of the corner of his eye.

"Why are you trying to ruin _my_ fun?"

"Father said not to kill him, but now you went and disobeyed him… He won't be happy about this at all…"

Envy didn't change out of Edward's form, but gave Duo a disgusted look as he stepped away from him.

"I'll take care of his memory…" Envy quickly turned his hand into solid automail like Edward's and knocked Duo right in the face.

"That should do it." Envy hated that he couldn't finish off the burden that would interfere if he didn't make the rest of the homunculi realize that.

> > >

Edward and Alphonse were still searching for Duo who had yet to return. It seemed unlikely to Ed that anyone would actually want to do anything to Duo. The only person that had ever crossed his mind as disliking Duo was Roy.

"Please tell me it's _not_ you…" Ed prayed as he raced through the corridor and finally saw Duo lying on the ground through a window.

Edward burst through the door a few feet down and when he finally got to where Duo was; he pulled the other boy's head onto his lap. The blonde saw bruises and scratches that were all over his face and arms as he awaited him to wake.

"Duo, please wake up…" He noticed that Duo's pulse was irregular as he was lying there.

When somebody noticed them, he came to help immediately, but unfortunately it was the _wrong_ person to find them. It was Roy who found them and carried the unconscious Duo inside to their room.

Once Ed and Roy had taken care of Duo and Al had come back and was watching him; Roy pulled him outside of the room and began demanding answers.

"What the hell is going on? Why are you keeping secrets from me, Edward? I thought you and I had already argued about _that_ night... Yet you still don't trust me?"

Ed suddenly couldn't handle anymore of what was going on and lost control with Roy, "Why do you always assume these things? I don't know what's going on! I don't know why Duo's unconscious and hurt! And how can you expect me to forget everything just because of what you said!"

Then, Ed showed his first sign of vulnerability to Roy and collapsed to the floor. His face was covered by his hands, but Roy could still see tears.

Roy kneeled down and made Edward look him directly in the eye, then with no warning, kissed Edward fully on the lips. Edward was surprised at the gesture, but somehow could not bring himself to push Roy away. Maybe there was a chance he still liked Roy...


	17. No

Edward practically invited Roy into his mouth as all he could do was moan from the ecstasy. The two of them got caught up in the pleasure, but Edward was snapped out of it when Roy attempted to grope him.

"Roy! Stop! We can't do this…" Ed pushed him away and got up with his face badly flushed, "I'm sorry to do that, but… You and I just _can't_…"

He was beginning to become overrun with guilt as Roy also showed shame for what he did. "I know I shouldn't have done that, but as I said before. _I_ still love you even though you love that Duo Maxwell. I'll get a doctor to come look at him if you want."

"No," Ed opened the door, "we'll take care of him."

That word would remain engraved in Roy's mind as he left Edward to care for the boy who had suddenly jumped in their lives. In a way this wasn't fair that he knew Edward since he was a ten and a boy he met about a week ago suddenly can take his place.

_No._

Maybe it was time he learned to move on as well, and he knew there was someone else who would be waiting for him as well. Without realizing it, Roy had started walking even faster almost running by the time he burst through his office door and startled the ghost of the subordinates who were once there.

_No._

That word was torture while at the same time being the key to unlock the chains that had constricted his heart to only Ed. _This_ was the time to find his true love in life which he had once hoped would be Ed, but now saw that there was another who could give him the happiness Edward had just now taken away.

_Yes._

Riza Hawkeye could be the one.

Al knew he couldn't feel whether Duo's head was _really_ hot, but he felt better pressing his hand against his forehead anyway. Maybe a useless gesture for a suit of armor, but just watching him hadn't made him feel better.

Duo didn't seem ill or anything, and his breathing was normal; he was just unconscious and had yet to wake up. Whenever he stirred Al was ready to go fetch Ed and Roy, but he would stop immediately. As soon as Ed walked in he asked if he had woken up yet.

"Brother, I'm worried about him… He always seems so strong and when I see him like this it… It makes me anxious." Ed put a hand on Al's shoulder and smiled with as much warmth as he could muster.

"Me too Al…" Ed sat on the bed next to Duo and quietly asked Al to let him be alone with Duo. Al stood up hastily and left saying he'd go get some water and food for Duo when he woke up in case he was hungry.

Ed looked down at Duo and couldn't stop himself from kissing him lightly on the lips. He began to pull away when he felt Duo's hand pull him back down. Ed didn't resist as Duo made him lay down all the way beside him. The two of them just laid there in each other's arms before Ed broke the silence.

"Are you alright? I'm sorry things like this keep happening to you and I'm sorry I can't do anything to make things better for you." Duo kissed Ed again, with more intensity this time before saying anything more.

"The only thing you need to do for me is be here Ed. I know that you can't stay by my side every second because you have other things you have to do. All I ask is for you to be here when you can, and I promise I'll always be there for you."

They both stopped when they heard Alphonse open the door and try to eavesdrop silently but fail. He handed Duo a small plate of food and them made a lame excuse to leave them alone.

Ed was now thinking that Duo and him were both ready to finally admit that they loved each other, but he wanted to make sure of one thing before confessing. "Duo, do you love that Heero person still?"

Duo stopped in mid-bite of an apple and looked over at Ed confused. "I can't really say whether I do or don't because I don't know if _he's_ moved on like I'm trying to do. But I can't say that what I feel for you is fake either."

The blonde suddenly let out the breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. "I see… Do you think you'll ever get back to your world?"

"I don't even know if I want to anymore." Duo replied and gestured for Ed to lie down, "I have come to love the people here so much and I'm so eager to get out of this building and see the places you've described."

Ed felt Duo's hand run over his back and down to his butt. After giving a firm squeeze he added, "And I'd also like to explore _you_ before I go _anywhere_."

Envy watched in disgust as Duo began to make moves on the small alchemist and he just accepted it. They began to get more intense and then they both began losing their clothes. Those two were oblivious and Ed had completely forgotten to question the brunette; a mistake he would regret even though Duo didn't remember anything.

**Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	18. Flashback

Al could hear that Duo and Ed had both fallen asleep after such a long night and he knew why they were both so tired. He only hoped that this _really_ meant that Duo and Ed were going to be together, and that Duo was here for a permanent stay in Amestris. Ever since Duo had showed up, Edward had become more and more open with his emotions and broken out of the shell he had withdrawn to after the Roy incident.

He decided to sleep on the other bed since Ed and Duo were done and try to get a lot of rest. For some reason, he had a feeling he'd need it.

> > >

Heero watched the sun begin to rise and found himself remembering a time when he and Duo had done the same.

> > >

_"Why are you up so early, Duo?" Heero sat down beside Duo and noticed he was crouched over in a protective way. _

"I had a nightmare… about when I was an orphan. It was a very vividly detailed dream, almost a guide on how to rape defenseless children. Or how a child can sell their bodies to perverts and get as much money as possible…" Heero knew how touchy he was whenever he brought up his traumatic childhood, and had yet seen Duo look for any way to cure himself of the horrid nightmares that plagued him.

He slipped an arm around Duo and pulled him close hoping to console him, but he only felt tears on his shoulder. It was something he wasn't used to seeing his lover doing; in a way he had never really thought Duo could cry. Just now, he tried to figure out why he had always assumed that.

Duo looked up with desolate eyes and leaned against Heero with all his weight, "I always hoped that now that I'm with you, they would just disappear… But they haven't… I don't know what any of this means, but I'm sick of life screwing me over and over again!"

Heero held Duo and tried to calm him down once again, this time succeeding. After a while, the two noticed the rising sun in the distance and Duo smiled forlornly and stood up.

"Someday my sun will set too, but then it will rise again and hopefully I can restart my life. Do you believe in reincarnation Heero?"

Duo's question was left unanswered, but he still seemed to feel better. Heero never could tell him that he didn't believe in anything like reincarnation.

> > >

Wufei watched Heero as he got up to walk around the large garden in front of Quatre's home. He wished Quatre and his team would hurry and either find out Duo was forever lost so Heero could move on soon or bring Duo back to them so Heero could be happy again. Then again, now that Heero has begun to like someone else and Duo very well could be in the same situation, but all was unclear.

Unless Wufei could find a way to communicate with Duo or he began believing in the crap fortunetellers say about being able to speak to a person through dimensions; he was out of luck on knowing what happened to Duo. Another choice he didn't want to bring up to anyone was that Duo may be dead or might have disappeared from existence.

These were all very grim thoughts for his fellow Gundam pilot, but reality could sometimes be a truly terrible thing. He decided to call Quatre, even though it was so early in the morning to be doing so.

> > >

Roy sat in his office staring blankly at the wall thinking about all that's been happening recently. His new mission was to ask Riza Hawkeye out on a date, but he had not yet found a good opportunity to do so. Another reason he hadn't asked her yet was because he couldn't find a way to bring it into a conversation either.

As he began to ponder, he heard a faint knocking on his door and automatically called them in. Riza walked in, not in the least bit amazed that Roy had stayed in the office all night.

"Colonel, you should at least get some sleep before you have to begin on your stack of paperwork again." She felt genuine sympathy for him having to do so much and having to be stressed to do it in a strict time limit; even though he never paid much attention to that.

"Lt. Hawkeye, I've had something I've needed to ask you for a while but just haven't known how to say it." He turned around and faced her instead of looking out the window, "I've wanted to ask you out on a date."

She looked surprised at what Roy was asking of her, but still nodded her head slowly. This was something she'd also been hoping to happen. "O-of course sir!"

"One thing Riza," she looked into Roy's eyes, "you _have _to stop calling me sir or Colonel. It's Roy, just Roy."

> > >

Duo stirred and noticed that he and Ed were still tangled with each other from last night's event. He smiled when he thought of how everything went; this would now be his home. In a way, he had given up hope of ever going back to his own time, but he was happy here.

He carefully untangled himself from Ed and then slipped out of bed to find some clothes. His clothes were too dirty from the night before to put on, so he decided he would just ask somebody to get him a military uniform for temporary uses.

He slipped on his pants just for a while, and grabbed Ed's jacket to cover himself until he could find a soldier and ask him to get clothes. When he finally did, the soldier agreed and said Lt. Colonel Hughes would probably deliver it to him.


	19. Uniforms

Duo felt uncomfortable in the uniform, but tried his best to work with it. Ed and Al hadn't woken and it was already late morning, so he decided that he would wake them up. Hughes hadn't been able to deliver he clothes, but an officer did anyway.

Duo had also snagged one for Edward too, in case he wanted to get his clothes washed too. When he got a good look at himself, he actually thought the uniform looked somewhat good on him, and hoped Ed would think so too.

"Hey Ed, Al… Time to wake up!" Duo tapped Edward first but Al woke up without need of assistance.

After Ed had grumbled a few curses in Duo's direction he tried to put on the same clothes, but Duo snatched them away. "I got you a military uniform for now, so just where it until these get washed."

The little alchemist seemed to finally have realized that _Duo_ was wearing a _uniform_ as well. It seemed strange to see Duo in those clothes, but at the same time somewhat arousing. He would make sure to keep that to himself.

"You want _me_ to wear _that_? You've got to be kidding…" He looked in disbelief as he was handed the smaller uniform and then noticed Duo had a strange look in his eye. "Give me a minute to change, you and Al go get breakfast."

As soon as the two of them left, Ed put on the uniform and gazed out the window down at the courtyard and noticed that the Fuhrer was taking a stroll. He didn't feel alarmed, but he did begin to pray that he and Duo didn't accidentally meet up. That was when he remembered about asking Duo what had happened to him last night.

"Shit, I've got to talk to him soon before he forgets about it too."

He rushed to open the door and was greeted by a picture of Elicia Hughes on a tricycle. Immediately after Hughes began to swoon over his daughter and distract Ed from getting to Duo.

"Lt. Colonel! I'm trying to- Are you listening to me?" Ed tried desperately to fight off the swarm of pictures, but Hughes was being very persistent today. It wouldn't have been so bad if Ed didn't need to talk to Duo about that important matter.

"Isn't she _so_ cute! I'm so worried about her once she gets to be _your_ age Ed! All the boys will be ogling her till no tomorrow!" After a few more minutes of the struggle between the two of them, Ed finally succeeded in sidestepping Hughes and being able to escape down to the cafeteria.

"Damn! What's his deal anyway?" Dismissing the thoughts of Hughes, he hurried to find out where Duo was.

Duo was joking with Al when suddenly Alphonse stopped and began saluting. Duo was surprised by Al's behavior and didn't notice the rows of men coming towards them with Fuhrer Bradley in the lead.

"So you are Duo Maxwell, am I right?" Bradley didn't seem annoyed by being completely ignored by Duo who was oblivious to the whole situation.

"Mr. Maxwell- " One soldier began to get Duo's attention when Duo snapped at him.

"What the hell do you want?" Most men were taken aback by what he said in the Fuhrer's face, but Bradley seemed calm as ever.

"I am Fuhrer Bradley, and am _very_ pleased to meet you Mr. Duo Maxwell." He stuck out his hand to the dumbfounded Duo who finally remembered some of what Ed had tried to explain on the first day he arrived.

"Holy shit! I'm so sorry Fuhrer!" Duo couldn't have known that _this_ man was the one who ran the whole country. He looked like an ordinary soldier except for all of the underlings that followed him around all day.

"That's alright, that's alright. I just wanted to meet our visitor for the first time while I'm not swamped with paperwork. You seem like a nice boy, and I hope you're enjoying your stay here." Duo noticed how he spoke of him appearing mysteriously as if he had come from another town and not another _world_. With a quick nod the whole group of them left the two boys alone in the hall and wondering why the Fuhrer had only wanted to see him and then pass him by.

Hughes smiled as he strolled along nonchalantly until he came to Roy's office. Then he entered without even knocking and came to a scene of Roy asleep on his desk. He rolled his eyes and thought of how much Roy reminded him of a young boy falling asleep in class.

"Colonel! We're being attacked by evil, sexy penguins! Why won't you wake up? Why?" Hughes began yelling in Roy's ear. Roy nearly fell out of his chair from being startled by the loud yelling in his ear.

"What the hell are you talking about Hughes? Evil, sexy penguins?"

Hughes shrugged and gave his friend a pat on the back, "Just didn't want you to sleep through the whole day."

Roy sighed and tried to wake himself up more before asking Hughes for the information he had asked him to snoop around for. Hughes seemed to be eager to say what he wanted to say before Roy even had time to say another word.

"The really did _it_ last night, I mean they went the _whole_ way!" Roy swallowed hard and began thinking about his new girlfriend; she should be the only one he thought about.

"How do you know exactly?"

"They were both wearing military uniforms, meaning their clothes were dirty, and that means they must have made a _big_ mess." Hughes grinned at Roy's look of jealousy, knowing it would be quite a while before Roy ever truly gave up on Edward.

**Sorry for no sex scenes, but I've only rated this about K + or T, so I can't have too much adult content. Still hope you enjoyed the chapter though! **

**Please review! (Comments and criticism are appreciated!)**


	20. Punishment

Envy lingered around a small café in the form of a young, handsome man around Ed's age. He hadn't thought much about what to do with Duo, but now he had been able to convince Lust of how truly _dangerous_ he could be to their plans. Once had had thoroughly told her what happened during their fight.

She had ordered him to have Gluttony eat him, but Envy had known this would be harder than she thought. It had only been one battle, but with just that he had been able to see that he was _not_ inexperienced in any sort of combat and he had skills no ordinary human would have. Meaning _he_ might not be completely human after all…

This could also serve his purpose in isolating Duo to make it easier to kill him off. And Envy knew exactly who to choose to make sure no one would interfere…

> > >

Roy drummed his fingers on his desk until Havoc finally got fed up and told him to stop.

"What's your problem anyway? All day you've been acting agitated and you keep snapping at the lower officers if they make to much noise by _filing papers_!" Havoc sighed when he saw his Colonel wasn't listening to a word he was saying.

His midnight blue eyes stared intensely out the window as if he expected something important to fall from the sky. Much to Havoc's surprise, there was suddenly a blur past the window as something fell from the roof.

Everyone seemed to see it or hear the loud crash it made; apparently it landed in a tree. Roy stood up and began running down the hall and down to the front of the building where the thing fell closest to.

> > >

Duo and Al surveyed the cafeteria to see if Ed had gotten there yet, but didn't see his red jacket anywhere. In a way, they weren't very surprised since they hadn't expected him to be on time in the first time.

"Oh wait… we shouldn't be looking for his _red_ jacket should we…? I forgot he's wearing a uniform because of what we were doing last night-" Al cut Duo off in mid-sentence before he realized what he was saying.

"Let's just sit down and you can eat while we wait." Alphonse went to go reserve a table for them.

Most of the other men ignored the two of them except one man who purposefully grabbed for Duo's braid when he was passing by.

It was a short quick jerk that was hard enough to make Duo yelp in pain, "What the hell are you doing?"

He swiped at the man's hand, but the guy was too quick for him. His buddies began sniggering at Duo, but he just ignored them and went to Alphonse. Al tried to see if Duo was in any way affected by that, but he put on such a convincing smile he let the issue rest.

"I wonder where Brother is? He usually doesn't take so long to get dressed, but then again he never usually changes clothes either."

"Then how come his clothes are always clean?" Duo asked as he took a bite into his bread.

"He uses alchemy to make them brand new every day, but he does keep spare clothes in case he can't replace what was destroyed or lost." Al seemed to know Ed like the back of his hand, which made Duo laugh at the thought of Edward being imprinted on the metal armor.

Nobody was really bothering them until Alphonse got up to leave and find Edward; which was also the time the same man who had yanked Duo's braid brought all his buddies over to Duo's table. The man sat right next to Duo intentionally and scooted as close as possible to him until his hand would've been able to reach around Duo's waist.

The brunette kept calm until the man really did begin to advance on him. Then with a quick punch, Duo shattered the man's nose.

"You fucking bitch! You'll pay for that!" The man was about to get up when Riza Hawkeye walked in.

She noticed the man holding his nose and demanded an explanation to what happened. The man with the broken nose began first with all of his groupies backing him up.

"This fucking bastard just punched me from out of nowhere! I didn't do anything to him other than sit next to him and try to be friendly!"

Duo tried to keep his temper, but could feel it fading fast. "I can't believe you all can warp the truth so easily! That's _not_ what happened and _you _started this whole thing!"

Duo pointed out the man and he tried to deny it, but when other people who witnessed it began taking Duo's side he quickly lost.

"You'll be demoted for this and you will be banned from the dorms. It is against code to do such acts to people who want no part of such. By tomorrow you _will_ be out of here."

"Yes ma'am." The man saluted his superior as she had Duo stand up and leave with her.

> > >

Edward and Al had met up in the halls, and while they were heading to the cafeteria Al was telling Ed about all that had happened. Ed seemed particularly angry at the man who had pulled Duo's braid but Al didn't say how obvious it was.

As the entered, Alphonse looked at the last table they were sitting at and found the group of men where Duo had been sitting. "Did you see where the guy with the braid went?"

"Of course we did! That mother fucker just got me knee-deep in shit because he lied to Lt. Hawkeye and said _we_ were doing something wrong! And then he punched me and broke my nose!"

Ed tried to see the damage Duo had done and was amazed at how accurately he had aimed and how quickly he had done it. It had only taken him and Al two minutes to get back down there.

**Please R & R!**


	21. Homunculi

**Warning: If anyone hasn't read very far in the Fullmetal Alchemist manga, there may be a spoiler towards the end. **

At first the two of them had been heading to a certain destination, but after Roy had been calling after Riza; the two of them were heading outside. Duo just followed them, since he had nowhere else to go at the moment.

A whole group of soldiers were gathered around a tree that had completely split down the middle. Whatever had done this was no mystery to Roy or Riza, but the rest of the men were clueless. Duo wasn't very sure either so he got closer to gaze into the giant crater where the tree split. In the middle, everyone could see something moving, but the shadows covered it up.

"Everyone, move away!" Roy commanded and everyone listened except for Duo who was curious to see _exactly_ what was down there.

A pair of eyes turned towards Duo and at first he thought it was the golden-eyed monster he had seen in the window, but as he took a closer look he saw it was _much_ bigger than the monster. The thing turned to face Duo and then he turned and began to run which puzzled Riza and Roy.

"Where are you going?" Roy asked, but once the giant person he knew as Gluttony jumped out of the crater and landed in front of them; he knew why.

Duo could feel tremors in the ground and stopped to glance at what had made them. When he saw what made them, he began running as fast as he could. That thing wasn't human, and he couldn't shake the feeling he had encountered one of the thing's before.

Edward and Alphonse came out of the main building, totally oblivious to what was happening. Duo yelled at them to get inside, but they didn't seem to understand him clearly. He had no choice but to turn towards them and push them back.

"Get in! _Now_ there's this giant thing-!" He was cut off when a giant arm hit him in the chest and Ed was pretty sure he could hear ribs cracking.

Gluttony forced Duo's body a few yards away, and by the way Duo's body remained limp; he was surely unconscious. The huge homunculi smiled at them but Ed was quick to react and immediately turned his automail into a blade.

"You son of a bitch! I'll kill you!" As he brought his blade down, Envy interfered and blocked Ed's blow.

"Grab the guy over there Gluttony! And _don't_ eat him!" Envy ordered as he fought off Ed's relentless automail.

Al tried to go after Gluttony, but the big guy was faster than he looked. He swiftly lifted Duo off the ground and in a flash had disappeared. Envy soon retreated as well, leaving the two brothers to feel beaten and as if they had failed.

> > >

Wufei could hear that Heero was getting along great with Quatre who had come to visit and give them an update on how their project was going. So far they had a little more than half-way completed the machine.

It was when their voices stopped that Wufei got curious and cautiously looked in. As he had expected, the two were locked in a kiss and Wufei could only feel happy for his friend. It had been a little over two weeks, and now it was time for Heero to move on.

As he returned to the kitchen he noticed something strange about the air. It looked distorted and reminded him of those lame ghost hunters shows he used to watch on occasion. He reached out towards it and felt a strange presence as he walked through it. When he turned to inspect it again, the thing had disappeared. Whatever it was, Wufei could feel an ease when he had passed through it.

"Duo…?" Wufei spoke to the empty room and when he realized Heero and Quatre were in their too, he snapped out of his trance.

"What's wrong?" Quatre looked worried and Heero looked slightly detached as he left the room.

"I'm fine, go comfort Heero. But later I want to talk to you about whether Duo… survived or not…" Wufei saw a hurt look in Quatre's eyes, but the blonde still smiled.

"I'll be back soon, and then we'll talk."

> > >

Lust was waiting for them patiently on the outskirts, and sighed when she saw Gluttony from a distance. Then she saw the unconscious boy on his shoulder that was still lucky to be in one piece, and _not_ in Gluttony's stomach.

"Are you sure that's him?" Duo's face was hidden by so much hair, she had to be careful to not wake him by pulling to hard while moving it from his face.

"It is! It is! Envy said so!" Gluttony let Duo roll off his shoulder onto the ground and Lust could see his bruised face.

Lust had Gluttony pick him up and load him onto the small carriage they had stolen and then waited for Envy to return as well. Then 'Father' would get to meet this guy and maybe he could actually _become_ a homunculi as well.

"All of this just for one boy who barely looks like he could fight his way out of a box." Lust saw Envy coming and got in, and once Envy changed his form they went straight back to their hideout.

**Sorry the chapter was short! **


	22. Masks

Roy and Riza finally reached the Elrics who were trying to find Envy and Gluttony still. Then knew it was hopeless to try and follow through the forest area, but they felt obligated to still try; especially Ed. In a way, he felt this was all his fault for not questioning Duo and not warning him about the homunculi.

"Edward, stop or you'll wear yourself out!" Roy ordered and tried to stop him, but a firm punch greeted his jaw.

"Leave me the fuck alone! This is all my fault for what happened, and you know it!" Ed couldn't hold back some of the tears he held back even when his automail was getting changed.

Alphonse felt guilty, but he knew it would never even _compare_ to Ed's since they were now lovers. But he didn't feel right just allowing his brother to take all the blame on himself. "Brother, it wasn't just your fault… It was _mine_ as well because I'm the one who left him alone in the first place."

The blonde didn't reply, but only gazed off into the distance and tried to scope out any movements even though he knew it was hopeless. Another thing that Edward felt responsible for, along with the heavy burden of finding the Philosopher's Stone; although all of that had been put aside ever since Duo had come. In a way it was like a break for the brothers and they had enjoyed it until the homunculi had to remind them of the fact it wouldn't always be that way.

"I guess it's now time to get off our lazy asses and begin working again. We've had a long enough break that was interrupted by them again…" Edward sighed and stopped searching knowing it would be useless considering it would take him a long time just to get out of there and by then there wouldn't be a trace of the homunculi left.

"Let's try looking in town, maybe we'll be able to stop them before they get too far." Al suggested and Ed grinned as if he had planned it all along.

"There was also a certain _someone_ I was thinking might be able to help us." His golden eyes landed on Roy and awaited his answer.

"I'll get some men to look out for any suspicious characters and make sure they check all means of transportation for someone who looks like Duo." Roy rolled his eyes but for some reason felt guilty for that happening to Duo in the first place.

> > >

Duo's head was aching and he could hardly stand to look out the window into the sunlit sky. The whole thing was giving him a headache and the first thing he saw when he woke was a young man in skin-tight clothes with long green hair. For some reason, Duo found him very familiar.

"So our Sleeping Beauty has awoken! How do you feel princess?" The man had a very small-build, but that didn't make him falter in his confidence.

"You talk pretty cocky for someone who looks like a little prissy princess." Duo noticed the guy stifled his anger, but knew he wasn't very good at doing it.

"You're pretty smug for being a hostage!" Envy stood up and forced Duo to look directly into his eyes. "You're eyes are an unusual color, but very beautiful in a strange way at the same time…"

"Are you trying to seduce me or something? And who are you anyways?"

"My name is Envy, and why the hell would I try to seduce _you_?" Envy let go and sat down across from the brunette. "I'm curious to know, are you human?"

Duo seemed surprised at the question and nodded slowly. This guy was so strange but Duo couldn't help but feel as if he understood Envy. It wasn't as if they were completely different, and even though he hadn't even spoken to his kidnapper; there was something that made him want to get to know him.

"Why do you put up that mask? What is it you have to hide?" Duo asked and struggled slightly against the restraints he had finally noticed.

"Stop being so hypocritical, I've seen you wear a mask as well. And don't pretend like you haven't."

"I don't lie and I won't say I haven't put on masks before to make sure people don't worry about me. I hate it when people worry over me and then get their heads blown off. But what about you?" Duo heard someone moving around outside the room and realized that they were in a still public area, but in some sort of backroom to a shop.

Envy almost spat in his face but felt an unusually strong resistance to. Instead he just turned and walked toward the door, but before leaving he purposefully changed his form in front of Duo.

"Just so you know, I don't _wear_ masks… I _become_ them."

> > >

Winry stepped off the train just as eager to see Ed as she was the first time when the incident with Barry the Chopper happened. This time she had promised not to get herself kidnapped and get threatened to get chopped up by a psycho and getting Ed hurt in the process.

She was impatient with walking the normal pace everyone else was walking and was weaving in and out of people to get to Central Headquarters faster. It wasn't doing much, but she was honestly too excited to care.

Winry couldn't stand to sit down for another twenty minutes or so for a ride to Headquarters, so she decided to just walk there and hopefully she would be willing to sit down again to talk with her two childhood friends.


	23. Abomination

Envy paced the room wondering what could possibly be taking Lust so long to get back from her job of finding where Gluttony had wandered off to earlier. He kicked the dead owner's body closer to the counter so no one could see his body if they were near the counter.

He had been ready to close shop hours ago for the man, but left it open till it said on the sign hanging from the door. As Envy was about to shut the curtains around the window, he heard a group of women coming up the sidewalk, and more than likely they were going to enter the shop.

He turned into the shop owner just as the women glanced in the window. They entered and one of the girls smiled and greeted him, "Hey there! Sorry to burst in at the last second, but we realized we needed something for tomorrow morning. Are you out of that meat you had on sale earlier?"

"Yes, but I have another meat you may find just as delicious." Envy smirked as he schemed up a horrible plan for the girls and their families.

He let the girls distract themselves and then quickly dragged the real shop owner to the back room. Duo had dozed slightly against the wall, but awoke when he found a man carrying his own body, except it was lifeless.

"Am I drunk or something?" Duo asked as he hoped that it was just a dream, but knew better than to waste too much energy on an empty hope.

Envy set the man on the table, but apparently he was too tall and his bulky legs hung over the edge. "No, unfortunately you aren't and now you're going to witness a couple of families convert to _cannibalism_."

Duo felt sick at the thought of them unknowingly eating another human being and tried to stop Envy before he began carving up the man. "Why would you do something like that to someone who's innocent?"

Envy put down the knife and walked up to Duo with an angry look. He grabbed his hair and pulled down hard making Duo make a small noise from the pain. Then with another sharp jerk he made Duo come back up abruptly and then let him go.

"_You_ can't say anything that will change my mind about humans, because I hate them! With as pure hate as it gets, and it does sound quite ironic doesn't it. _Pure hate_, when you think of purity, you think of innocence; and when you think of hate you think of evil."

Duo faked a laugh and wished desperately he could rub his scalp in hopes to soothe some of the pain. "You really are a monster…"

"Abomination is a better nickname, but don't call me that. Maybe when you get to know me better, you might call me something different." Envy took a large swing right into the man's chest cavity and the sound of cracking bones echoed in the room.

That was the final thing to make Duo throw up on the floor, even when killing someone he had never done it in such a brutal manner. Or with such a gleeful expression on his face.

> > >

Roy was getting current updates every hour or sooner if someone saw something suspicious. But no one had yet to see anything other than a few people wearing long robes and hoods which they had checked out immediately.

Now Roy was drumming his fingers on the desk again, but this time no one protested it. When the phone rang again, Roy almost jumped out of his chair and over the desk to grab the receiver.

"What is it?"

"We've spotted a man and woman of your descriptions Colonel. The man is fat, bald, and portly; and the woman's tall, thin, and wearing the long black dress you described. We saw them hanging around the department store on the southern side of Central, sir." The soldier sounded slightly nervous over the phone, but Roy ignored it.

"You had better have seen the right people since I'm going to travel all to way over there." Roy warned before hanging up and then got up which made everyone else follow suit. "We may have found our kidnappers."

> > >

Heero had puzzled over why Wufei had said Duo's name in the kitchen. He noticed that Wufei had seemed at peace for a brief moment before he had realized that he and Quatre had been watching.

He clutched onto one of Duo's many hair ties, and then tried his hardest to drop it, but found himself unable to do so. Even though Heero basically _knew_ there wasn't any easy way for Duo to get back, he felt as if waiting until the time machine was finished would help.

"Why did something like this have to happen to _you_…? Why does fate always play such a cruel hand to _us_…?" Heero asked the empty room and stood up to get dressed for sleep.

Lately he had dreamed some strange dreams of Duo and a smaller blonde who had strange powers. He could see dreams of the two of them getting along so well, but last night's dream had been terrible.

Duo had been kidnapped by some even stranger beings and Heero had no idea why they would kidnap Duo… That was when Heero had to snap back to reality and try and convince himself it was all just a dream.

Though the vivid images of what was happening, and how the dreams seemed to happen in a sort of chronological order didn't help Heero's anxiety relax any.

**Thanks to everyone for reviewing! **

**I'm also curious to ask my readers whether they think the homunculus Greed should be a part of this arc. Anyone want to volunteer their opinion?**


	24. Mistake

The soldiers had surrounded the building which they had seen the man and woman enter. Roy had just arrived and demanded to be shown who they had found. The soldiers tried to kiss up to them by claiming that they had been watching the couple the whole time, but he brushed them off.

As the couple came out, they had an umbrella and he couldn't clearly see their faces. One man yelled at them to stop, and then the woman dropped the umbrella to reveal a face that did _not_ belong to Lust.

"I told you to be sure it was them!" Roy yelled before going up to the couple and politely apologizing for what happened.

They seemed happy just to get out of the military's way, and then the soldiers began rapidly apologizing once again for having the wrong people. The only thing they didn't notice, was the couple they were looking for, was watching them from above.

"So foolish… It's no wonder we can so easily elude them considering they can't even tell us apart from ordinary humans." Lust began to walk back towards the roof of the department store and was sure to have Gluttony follow.

This time she wouldn't allow him to wander from her sight, and she made sure by promising that he could eat someone later.

> > >

"Here you go ladies, and have a nice day!" Envy smiled as the store owner and when they left quickly closed the curtains and turned the sign to closed.

He was annoyed at the women having to dig around for so long in their purses for spare change. Envy had never fully understood why people have to give useless coins to _buy_ something. As he walked into the room, he saw the carnage on the table and smiled wickedly at his own doing.

He walked over to the body and shoved it off the table, but yelled when the butcher knife went straight threw his foot. "God damn piece of shit!"

Lust dodged the knife when Envy threw it, not knowing they would use that entrance. Gluttony was a little too short for it to matter to him, so he went straight to the bloody body and sniffed it eagerly.

"Can I eat it? Can I eat it?"

"No, we have to leave that for when the military shows up." Envy said as Lust bent down to inspect the body.

"This isn't our young friend, is it?" She wouldn't have doubted if he had gotten annoyed enough, he would've done this to Duo.

"No, I shoved him in the closet over there because he was about to blow my cover with the last customers I had to deal with." Envy pulled out Duo's body and threw him on the floor; feeling a slight ache for doing so.

He brushed away the feeling and remembered that he _hated_ any human being. But for some reason, he felt weaker toward Duo and blamed it on their fight they had when Duo proved how strong he _really_ was.

"Shall we let the military find this place and these remains? Or should we just leave?" Lust wondered as she noticed that Duo wasn't carved up, but he wasn't moving very much.

"They'll find it soon," Envy smirked, "I've already made the arrangement."

> > >

Edward and Alphonse had seen the whole wrong couple incident and had begun looking for Duo on their own. Knowing that there was a big chance that the soldiers could be entirely wrong about their assumption in finding the homunculi.

"Ed, over here!" Alphonse called into an alley and found some women screaming and were surrounded by soldiers; including Roy.

"What's going on?" Ed pushed his way next to Roy who was trying to get answers out of the young women.

"The man in that department store sold us _human meat_! I didn't realize when he said he had a _special_ type, he meant _this_!" She threw the package against the wall of the alley and everyone watched the contents spill out. The thing that stood out the most was an eyeball that had been purposefully hidden in the meat so they wouldn't notice when they purchased the meat.

This whole episode began reminding him very much about what happened with Barry the Chopper. He just brushed away the memory and focused on the label that pointed them to a store only a block away from where they were.

Ed and Al read out the name and Roy made all of his soldiers come with him to make sure whoever had done this wasn't doing it to someone else. The three of them had a faint idea of who the culprits were in murder.

The two pulled Roy aside to talk to him privately while the soldiers began to infiltrate the small building. The three were still watching to make sure nothing came barreling out and killing off more innocent people.

One of the men waved for Roy to come in and look. The place looked perfectly normal when you walked in, but in the back room you could see blood all over the table. Ed stopped a few feet away fearing that bloody mess might be Duo.

Roy knelt down and looked the body over and assured Edward this was not Duo.

"The body doesn't have anything that makes it stand out like Duo would have, and plus this man was much bigger than Duo. Even with so much of him missing and spread out," Roy looked around the room at how blood was purposefully splattered across the walls, "it still clear it isn't him."

Al saw his brother relax, but could tell that he still feared for Duo. Looking at what the homunculi did to this poor man, who wouldn't be?

**I realize a couple of people might've thought _Duo _was the one Envy was carving up, but I think it was just a misunderstanding. Anyways, I promise that one of the best homunculi will be appearing soon... Greed! **

**I'd also like to say thanks to all of my faithful readers! Sorry that I didn't update for a long time between some of the chapters, but for a while it seemed like nobody wanted to read them and I had writer's block on the arc. **

**Thanks! R&R please!**


	25. Hopeless

After the horrible fear the brothers had been forced to endure, they retreated back to the street to see if there was _any_ sign of the missing man with his strange traveling companions… There was none whatsoever on the unusually empty streets of Central, and Ed found himself noticing how close they were to the place Duo had first been found.

"Brother… we'll find him soon… I have a feeling we'll find him and he'll be fine." Alphonse tried to conceal the own worry and uncertainty from his sweet voice.

Edward looked up with a hollow look to his eyes that hurt Alphonse to see him in such a state. But as always, Ed assured him it wasn't his fault with a forced smile that only made him seem so much more depressed. "It's okay Al, this is really nobody's fault but my own…"

There he went again, blaming himself for the uncontrollable unpredictability of fate. This had been going on for the majority of Edward's life and Alphonse had yet to find a way to stop him from making everything seem like he had caused it.

Roy had come up behind the two brothers and had yet to interrupt their conversation. He decided against the voice that begged him not to say anything and just listen to them, and tapped Ed on the shoulder.

He stifled back the small pang of guilt that almost made him blurt out a rude comment like he was always used to doing. This was too much to see on the young boy's face and found himself staring at the sky instead of directly into those gold eyes; something he never did.

"We're almost positive that none of that blood is Duo's except for a small area inside of the closet. That was the only spot that the blood wouldn't have splattered considering the door had been closed when it had happened." Roy watched some of the men as they tried to inspect the rest of the premises for clues, but found none.

It was utterly hopeless to linger around that area for much longer, or at least even more discouraging to Edward and Alphonse. So they took their leave and decided to look around the train station to see if anyone had seen any of the homunculi or Duo. It appeared that everyone had went inside early this on particular evening, which worked perfectly as a disadvantage to all of the military.

Ed's mood didn't improve any when he had reached the train station and interrogated the ticket seller.

"I recall seeing a woman like you described, a short and portly man, and a boy with a long braid… But no man with green hair… And the boy with the braid didn't look well…" The old man stroked his beard thoughtfully and added quickly, "They did have an odd looking cat though…"

Alphonse and Edward guessed that Envy disguised himself as a cat to get on free or not draw suspicion to him appearance. It became worse when the sky started threatening to rain, and when the winds became more bitter and nipped at Edward's automail; they went into a nearby pub. As young as he was compared to the other men, nobody objected to Ed coming in. Most probably assumed Alphonse was Ed's dad or something.

"What do you think the old man meant by Duo didn't look well? Those damn homunculi better not have hurt him…" Ed growled as he glared at the rain splattering the window.

"Brother, you worry too much. I'm sure that they would be smarter than to kill their hostage. Unless that's what they'd intended to do all along…"

"That _really_ makes me feel better!" The blonde said sarcastically as he got up.

Alphonse watched him go out the front door and wanted to get up, but couldn't for some reason. The reason was unexplainable… Something just told him _not_ to follow his brother; that he need to be alone.

> > >

He didn't care that this effort would turn up fruitless, or that there wouldn't be anything of use in the rain in the middle of the night. All he wanted was to find Duo and go back to how things had been.

"My whole life's been so horrible… and yet I don't complain all the time… So why does it always happen to _me_… to _us_?" Ed looked back to the faint lights coming from the pub's windows.

As he continued walking down the road, he could feel his mud-caked boots get even worse since he didn't look where he stepped. One tree branch stuck out just far enough to graze Edward's cheek, and he stopped. The small cut was bleeding more than he thought it would've and look at how the crimson stained his white glove.

"Is this an answer…?" He looked up into the cloud covered sky and felt like now was a good time to cry, but couldn't get the tears to come. There had only been very few times when he felt like this… So guilty, so ungrateful, so useless… Just like what had happened to Al before he had condemned his own little brother to a life in a suit of armor; he felt he was playing with Duo's fate too.

That was a lesson he had learned well the first time, but apparently couldn't help but do it because he was human. "So _they_ can do it because they're _not_ human?"

His hair heavily soaked and his bangs were plastered to his face by then. When he heard the sounds of Alphonse's footsteps coming up behind him, Ed stopped questioning the sky. He knew it was no time to act like such a fool… And _especially_ not in front of the person he had done so many terrible things to.

"Ed… _Don't_… Just please stop and think about it. This _isn't_ your fault, so stop acting like it is." Alphonse put a hand on his brother's shoulder and saw that Ed was pathetically trying to smile as if nothing was wrong.

"Come on Al, we have to keep looking unless you're tired- I mean…" Ed tried to stop from fumbling with his words, but found it a futile attempt.

"Brother, it doesn't matter what I feel like doing. If you want to keep looking we will, and I'll try my hardest." He saw Ed look somewhat consoled as he walked ahead into the downpour.

"Okay… but you know you're gonna regret this, right?"

**I must apologize for updating so late! It was really rude of me to do so, but the Roy (Procrastinator) in me was taking control andI had no choice. I promise to write the next chapter sooner!**

**Please R&R! **


	26. Birth

**Warning for some FMA spoilers of the manga. **

Heero's dreams had become much worse since two nights ago when Duo had first been kidnapped by the giant creature everyone calls 'Gluttony'. There were two more of the creatures that looked a little more human than Gluttony, but one of them seemed mentally disturbed while the woman just didn't seem too interested in Duo or what they apparently planned for him.

Along with that, Heero finally remembered what the blonde's name was from his dreams. Even though he seemed to dream so much of the blonde, whenever he had tried to recall what his name was it always was impossible to remember. Edward was not a common name of his time, but he remembered how popular of a name it once had been.

Heero sat up in bed and looked over at the clock that was lit up by the moonlight. It was only midnight and yet Heero didn't feel like he could sleep for the rest of the night. After seeing how Duo looked while boarding that train in his dream, he felt like it was his fault he couldn't protect him.

"Where are you…?" Heero started walking towards the bedroom door and suddenly stopped. He had recalled Quatre once mentioning how he read a book with two lovers who had once been separated by time. He had told Heero how one lover had taken something from the future when he was accidentally sent to the past, and that connected the two even if they were separated by time travel.

He rummaged through his things and found the small sticker that Duo had been given when he first passed his driver's test under a false name. Heero moved that to the side and then finally found one of the two gold crosses Duo owned. This was one thing he would _never_ lose and Heero knew it.

He brought it back to the bed with him and sat there as if expecting something extraordinary to happen just by him staring at it. Even if he didn't understand how this worked now, Heero decided to wear it and hoped that he would figure it out soon. How hard could it be to figure out how to reach his own lover?

Then Heero stopped and thought back to the many times in his dreams that Duo had told the boy Edward he loved _him_… And now he was even falling for the blonde here in this world… Were they even lovers anymore?

"Of course we are… Just because Quatre and I…" He clutched his head as he tried to sort out the whole ordeal in his head, but found himself incapable of doing so. "I'll ask Wufei or Quatre… I have to tell them about my dreams soon anyway…"

As Heero concluded that, he felt so exhausted suddenly and didn't feel able to stay awake for much longer. While he drifted off to sleep the thought that haunted him forced nightmares that had nothing to do with Duo or Edward; now he was losing contact with them.

> > >

Duo reluctantly sat down in the seat and all he did was glare at the cat that was lying on the seat across from him. They got their own private car, so Envy decided to change back to his palm-tree-like form.

"Don't glare at _me_ it's your own fault for getting mixed up with us. If you had only stayed away from the military, then this wouldn't have happened." Envy smirked as he saw Duo's eyes narrowed in either the frustration of not being able to do anything to any of the homunculi or just because he was beginning to despise Envy more and more.

"I didn't have a choice, so don't talk to me as if I wanted to end up here in the first place!" Duo's pent up anger was finally being released and was thankful that Edward wasn't around to hear it.

"So in other words you _don't_ really love the Fullmetal Pipsqueak?"

"No! I don't! I love Heero Yuy, but I got stuck here because I was trying to save those people and then wound up _here_." Duo felt like punching Envy to stop him from smirking at him as if he was better than him. "Stop grinning at me like that! WHY WON'T YOU ALL JUST LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!"

Envy leaned forward until he was barely an inch from Duo's flushed face, "So should I tell Edward you said that? Or should I wait until you become a homunculus, so you can tell him yourself?"

Duo stopped and stared at Envy as he felt some blood trickle from the cut on his face. He saw Envy holding something small and red in his hand a little bit away from his face.

"See you later Duo, because it just so happens there's room for a new Greed… And I guess we're going to see if you'll be able to handle it."

The whole world went black and all Duo could feel was an immense pain. He screamed out while trying to make sense of what was happening to him. None of it was making sense until he finally arrived in front of the face of a large creature.

All he knew he was doing was giving himself up to this creature, hoping the pain would disappear.

> > >

Ed and Al had boarded a train that was supposedly going to the same destination as the one the homunculi had boarded earlier. They were out in the country where hardly anyone lived when he suddenly had a strange feeling.

"What's wrong brother?" Al asked, genuinely worried.

"Nothing really, but I have the strangest feeling that I've forgotten something…"

> > >

Winry tapped her foot impatiently before Riza finally came out and noticed her. She waited to see if Winry would explain herself, but then was forced to ask, "What are you doing here?"

"I've been waiting for Ed to come and meet me." Her blue eyes were showing signs that she wasn't far off from flying off the handle at any moment.

"I'm sorry to say Ms. Rockbell, but Edward has left on a mission already. I thought somebody had already told you."

Winry tried to put on a smile as she slowly shook her head, but Riza could see through it and knew she was positively pissed.

**Sorry if the chapter isn't great, but I did try really hard on it! And not to mention, I remembered that Winry had appeared a few chapters ago and she should start making her way into the story more often now. Hope you enjoyed!**

**Please R & R!**


	27. Home

As Edward was dozing, Alphonse watched the countryside as it passed them by and he realized that they were heading out back towards Resembool; their hometown. The small town brought back memories of when the brothers were younger with their mother and also reminded Al that Pinako and Winry had wanted them to visit whenever they had gotten the chance.

"Brother, we're almost to the last train stop." He lightly tapped the blond to wake him up and received an angry groan as golden eyes flickered open.

Ed immediately shielded his eyes from the setting sun and sat up, "How did we end up at Resembool?"

"It seems that this was where the homunculi were heading with Duo, but I don't know why. Maybe they went farther than Resembool?"

"Maybe so, or maybe this was just for their own fun. They're probably going to fight us here... Either that, or they're going to kill Duo here and leave another death for us to think about..."

Ed remained quiet for a long time after that, and Alphonse couldn't think of anything to say either. Together they sat in the silence and watched more of the scenery blur past them. Al fidgeted uncomfortably because of the tense feeling in the air; he could only hope that what Edward guessed was wrong and that the homunculi _would _keep Duo alive.

"We're here." Ed pointed out the obvious and hastily moved out into the aisle and towards the door. Al tried to follow but had some trouble once again because of his size.

"Brother, wait!"

Instead of listening to his younger brother, Ed ran off the train but stopped almost as soon as he did. When he had looked around, the one thing that had caught his eye was a cat that was watching him intently. As soon as the blonde started towards the cat, it started to leave in the same direction as his house.

"Edward! You're gonna leave me behind!" Al called again, but his older brother ignored him.

Envy continued to weave between people until he had finally made it out to where all of the crop fields were. Even though he wasn't all too familiar with the area, he didn't have much trouble finding the place he'd been looking for. Supposedly, Edward and Alphonse had burned down their house years ago but he had only forced Duo to tell him that with a bit of torture.

The eventually came to a path that led away from the small town of Resembool and out to the even quieter area where some farmers and other people who preferred it out there. As far as the homunculus knew, there was only one house that had ever been burned down and so he went towards those ruins.

It didn't take too long to make it there, and it was secluded enough to where he could change without worry of other pesky villagers. He leaned against the tree beside the blackened ground where there were still some traces that a house once stood there. He grinned as he saw Edward running up the path towards him, and when his eyes widened in realization of what the homunculi had planned.

"It's familiar isn't it? I got a bit of information about this house and all that went on in it... Your mother's death and then you're pathetic attempt at a human transmutation to ressurect her... Memories are so wonderful, aren't they?"

Edward's golden eyes were more enraged than Envy could remember, and it just made the green-haired homunculus more excited.

"Shut up! Don't act like you know everything because you _don't _Envy!" Ed began to charge at Envy, but Envy suddenly jumped out of the way to reveal what he had apparently been hiding the whole time.

It was Duo.

He smirked at Edward with unusual contempt before slowly walking towards him. Ed couldn't quite place where he remembered seeing that smirk before, but he knew Duo had never gotten that look before. "Duo? Do you feel alright?"

"Oh, I feel _great_, but the name's not Duo... it's Greed."

Ed was speechless for a brief moment before snapping out of his trance, "What do you mean? There's no way Greed could be alive!"

Duo walked a few feet closer and stuck his arm out so Ed could get a good look at it. His arm began to change into the diamond-like material that Ed remembered the original Greed having. He had called it the 'Ultimate Shield', and it was just as it name said; the only thing that could penetrate it was alchemy.

"I'm alive and well Fullmetal, but you might not be in a while." With a sudden movement, Duo was already attacking the alchemist who still wasn't prepared to believe what was obviously true.

"There's no way that Duo is gone!" He just wished that Duo would stop acting and pretending to be Greed and return to his usual self with a playful grin on his face. "I'll make sure he comes back!"

Edward changed his automail into the long blade and held it up to defend himself from the relentless attacks of the new Greed. While he was being attacked, the blonde tried to think of a way to either awaken Duo who surely wasn't dead or of a way to find out what exactly happened to Duo. The distraction of the fight didn't help Ed's thought process any, but he was still figuring it out as he kept dodging and guarding himself from getting hit by Greed's claws.

"Why don't you actually try _hitting _me, Fullmetal?" He taunted while the new Greed's amethyst eyes danced, "It might actually make this fight more entertaining for our spectators."

Edward whirled around to see that there indeed were villagers watching, including Pinako, Winry, and he saw Alphonse running up the path to come help. When he turned back to look at Greed, he was suddenly punched in the face and landed among the burnt house where his house once stood. As Greed walked slowly toward the blonde who still was lying on the ground he watched the villagers out of the corner of his eye.

"Do you always attract such an audience?"

"No, but I'm sure they're expecting the good guy to win."

"Whoever said I was a bad guy?" Greed shrugged and came ever closer to Edward, "I'm just doing this for fun and after I kill you then I'm going to go out and do whatever I want. None of those damn idiot homunculi are gonna control what I do."

As he stood beside the blonde alchemist and was about to kick him again, the ground lit up and he found that Edward was using his alchemy to surprise him. It worked and Greed had to jump back to escape the stone spikes that came out of the ground.

"I suppose we'll have to finish this another time," Greed said as Alphonse made it to where they were, "but don't think you've won."

Al went immediately to his brother, and Greed took the time to run while most of the villagers remained down at the bottom of the hill. For some reason, none of them seemed to really believe what they had just seen and none of them moved, but it didn't really bother Ed at all.

"What the hell happened to him?"

**Sorry for the wait everybody! A lot came up that prevented me from getting much of a chance to write, but I promise the next chapter will be sooner.**

**Also, if there's anything that's getting to WTF, please let me know so that I can start correcting it before it gets to where you're always getting confused. (And also, don't start asking about how Winry magically appeared just yet because I will explain in the next chapter.)**

**Please R & R!**


	28. Explanation

"So you're saying that you can _see _the world Duo ended up in and you know what's happening to him right now?"

Quatre's look of disbelief wasn't surprising, but Wufei's knowing look was. Heero had expected both of them not to believe him and call him insane, but Wufei looked as if he understood exactly what Heero was talking about. As if he had already known, or experienced the same thing every night.

"The only thing is, lately I haven't been able to see them. Kind of like when your contract runs out with the TV company and they shut off all your cable. Last night I didn't dream anything of Duo or Edward or those freaks..." Heero felt Quatre put a hand on his shoulder and he looked up.

"That's a lot to take in at once, but please keep Wufei and I up to date... And you mentioned earlier you wanted to talk about something?"

The brunette remained silent for a few moments before looking up, "Maybe I'll ask later, after all of that I don't feel like talking about it."

Wufei stood up suddenly and went to the bookshelf and snatched the phone book off the shelf, as he was flipping through pages he was also getting ready to call. "I think I have an idea to explain what all of this is... Whether those dreams are real or fake, we'll find out from that fortune-teller that travels around with Trowa's circus group."

"That's a wonderful idea Wufei!" Quatre smiled and went over to help him look at the fine print while Heero started to think about the scenario if he were to visit a real fortune-teller.

It might not give him all the answers he was looking for, but it would bring him closer than having to hope that his dreams brought him more images of Duo and what was happening. Although, he had gotten a lot more rest since the dreams started happening and he wasn't feeling as depressed as he once was now that he had Quatre and sometimes the nightly visions of Duo.

"I'm going to bed for tonight."

"Have pleasant dreams Heero." Quatre watched as he went upstairs and then turned back to Wufei, "Do you really think this fortune-teller can help us find out whether or not Heero's gone insane?"

"He hasn't, and I know that... But those dreams aren't normal so I think we'd better see if this woman can help us." Wufei finally found the right phone number and began dialing, "After all, Trowa always said she was the real thing and I think we can trust his judgment."

> > >

When the crowd of villagers had finally dispersed, Edward and Alphonse had gone back to Winry's house where they were getting yelled at by Winry.

"You could've been _killed _Ed! Who was that guy? Why do you get yourself into these dangerous situations!" Most of her questions sounded more like her declaring something instead of asking, but Ed answered anyway.

"It's my job to do these kinds of things Winry! And that guy was... close to me and Al..." He stood up not being able to think of Duo like that for much longer, "I'm exhausted, I'm gonna get some sleep before tomorrow..."

Without another word, the older Elric went up the stairs and to the guest bedroom he and Alphonse always shared. The two Rockbells watched him leave and then Pinako went towards the kitchen to make some tea for her and Winry. Al and Winry sat in the uncomfortable silence for a few more moments before Winry dared to ask.

"What's been happening lately Al? Who _was _that guy? And why was he so determined to kill Ed?"

The younger Elric sighed and quickly began to retell all of what had happened recently from meeting Duo, to Ed and him becoming lovers, and to then when they had been pursuing him until today when they found him like that. While he had been talking, Al hadn't noticed that Pinako had come back in with tea but when Winry took a sip of hers she suddenly interrupted.

"That's bitter!"

"At times like this, black tea is the only thing that'll calm me... You two boys have some nerve worrying an old lady and her granddaughter like this..." Pinako looked up at the stairs as if expecting Edward to come down and start yelling at them for being nosy or something. "And you mentioned that Edward fell in love with that boy who was attacking him?"

Al nodded and saw Pinako's face look grim.

"It's such a shame that kind of thing had to happen to you two again... Just once I'd like to see both of you happy and with the people who are most precious to you happy as well."

"Auntie Pinako, you know Winry and you are also very precious to us..."

"But loving someone and being _in _love with someone is a whole different matter. Ed has chosen the one he loves most and then that happens... I think it's just horrible. And I may not know who you're dealing with exactly, but I won't try to stop you from saving your friend." She quietly smoked on her pipe as Winry looked slightly ashamed of probably thinking that she should be the most precious thing to Ed. "I think I'll turn in for tonight, Winry you should too since you've had such a long trip from Central. And Al, I think Ed will be waiting for you."

Alphonse first began to wonder why they had never seen Winry in Central, but thought it best to let everyone sleep first. Even he didn't feel like talking anymore after that long explanation about everything that had happened. Not to mention, he felt worse with every word he had said. When he got to the room, Edward looked to be asleep and Al decided he didn't want to wake him up, so he sat down by the door and remained silent the whole night.

> > >

Edward stared at the wall and closed his eyes to pretend to be asleep when his little brother walked in. He didn't say anything because he couldn't think of anything to say. He felt like his head would burst if something else happened that night, all of the events of the past day were starting to really make him think and understand.

There was a chance Duo would _never _come back... For a while, the thought hadn't really been clear and Ed didn't think he could have admitted it to himself. But he did, and the pain after the realization was horrible.

He felt like he could've cried forever if he hadn't felt it would make him look weak in front of Alphonse. The alchemist finally rolled over to see that Alphonse was in a somewhat 'sleep mode'. That gave Edward the chance to get a good look at his brother in the moonlight and held back more tears. It wasn't healthy for someone to have so much stress in their life and to push themselves to their limits all the time, but Ed always did for his brother and now he had to do it for Duo.

> > >

**As I promised, I did complete this fic much faster and the reviews I'm receiving are wonderful! If there's something you find really bad about this fic, don't be afraid to say so. And if someone hates this fic enough to just flame it, then I'm not going to care. **

**I have yet to receive a flame, but if you think it's so awesome to send one I don't care. I'll finish this series for anyone who truly does like this series. **

**Thanks!**

**Please R & R!**


	29. Heartbreak

"You should take a bath Ed, it'll calm your nerves." Pinako knocked on the door, not sure whether he was changing or not, "And you should get some breakfast too or you'll never last the day."

Edward just lay in bed and didn't decide to move until he heard Alphonse leave the room first. He felt pathetic for acting the way he did, but just then he really didn't care because he was too worried about what was going on with Duo to act any other way. Of course he felt bad for how he was treating Alphonse, Winry, and Pinako, but he was also upset that none of them seemed as affected by what was going on as he was.

The blonde sat up and eased his way out of the bed, he went for his clothes which were folded neatly (more than likely Al's doing) on the dresser by the window. He looked out the window and over into the lush green hills where he had once enjoyed playing with Al and Winry on days like this. It was all in the distant past, but for some reason Ed always found himself stuck there.

"Ed, you better hurry up or all the hot water's gonna run out!" Winry called and knocked loudly on Edward's door before quickly going to her room.

"I'll be there in a minute!" He felt more like he was part of a normal family just then, but it all felt like just a game; just playing house to amuse him. "All you people just need to learn what a bit of patience is!"

Ed snatched his clothes and went towards the bathroom with only his boxers on, not really caring that there were two women in the house since he had known them for so long. As he slammed the door shut, the first thing he laid eyes on was one of Winry's bathing suits. His natural reaction was for his face to get flushed, but he ignored it and hurried on with his shower.

He unbraided his hair and let it hang loosely down his back before stripping down of his boxers. He turned the knob in the shower that was supposed to make the water hot, but instead was hit with a jet of cold water. Ed stepped out of the shower to let the water run for a while until it was warm and then stepped back in to finish his shower.

"I've got to figure out what happened to Duo, but there's no way to know unless I was psychic... But _real_ psychics don't exist." Ed stared down at his hands and frowned as he watched the automail gleam in the sunlight.

"Hurry up, Ed. Auntie Pinako made you a homemade breakfast and even some of that coffee you like so much!" Al called through the door as he listened to some fabric rustle from behind the bathroom door and then Ed stepped out in his black tank top and blue boxers. "So are we staying for a while?"

"Yeah, until we find out whether or not Duo's still in Resembool or not. I can't let the homunculi get away from me, and right after breakfast I'm gonna go look."

"No brother, I'll go look. I promise not to do any fighting but you must be exhausted from the fight yesterday, and to have them taunt you by forcing you to fight Duo... Just stay home and rest while I go out and look." Alphonse started to leave once Edward turned to go into the kitchen thinking he'd follow.

"Al, wait-!" But before Edward could stop his younger brother, he was already gone. "Dammit! I have to go after him!"

"Just let Al go for a while, I'm sure he already feels guilty that you had to fight alone yesterday." Winry smiled and put a hand on Ed's shoulder, "I think he feels that he needs to show that he can help you too. Let's go have some breakfast."

Ed went into the kitchen with Winry and began to eat, but had Alphonse on his mind the whole time until Winry interrupted his thoughts.

"So you _love_ this guy...? I mean, I was able to see him and I could kinda understand why you would like him since he's really cute, but... I thought you liked _girls_... I remember you calling us once and you mentioned that you had a lover and I thought you had a girlfriend." Winry bit her lip as she saw Ed's face look somewhat upset that she was being so nosy, but also showed some traces of regret.

"I can't really explain _when_ I started liking guys, but that lover that I spoke of wasn't a girl either..." His golden eyes watched as Winry looked utterly heartbroken, but restrained herself from crying. "And when I first met Duo I had to explain everything to him and I always started noticing how cute he looked, but it was just like love at first sight."

"Oh, I understand..." Winry put on her best smile but stood up and hurried away back to her workshop where she could be alone for a while.

The blonde alchemist sat at the table confused by the sudden mood swing Winry had just gone through, but then stood up and started going towards the workshop knowing he had to apologize to Winry for just completely breaking her heart with one breath. That was another reason he thought he preferred men, was because they weren't nearly as complex as women were.

"What am I supposed to say?" Ed sighed feeling slightly irritated that Winry had to act the way she did, "Should I just say I'm sorry for falling in love? Or-"

He stopped as he came to the door of Winry's room and could hear her sobbing faintly. Then he realized he didn't have a need to reherse an apology anymore.

> > >

Duo was hunched over in a corner while Envy, Lust, and Gluttony just watched him throwing up. When he turned back around, the similar eyes that Envy had encountered when he had met the human Duo were there.

"So you can somehow change from Greed and then back to your normal self? Maybe it's just a side effect since you were originally a human... But Wrath never seemed to have that problem..." Envy smirked as he saw Duo use the wall to stand up straight and headed towards the couch.

At first the brunette was hesitant to sit because he could still see the traces of the woman they had murdered to hide out in her house. After a while, he realized he would faint if he didn't sit and was forced to even though he was now covering the bloodstains of an innocent woman. He felt sick again at the thought, but this time didn't have to throw up.

"You guys are sick..."

"Not like anyone's gonna miss her anyway. It'll be days before anyone notices she's missing and by then we'll be long gone." The green-haired homunculus shrugged and watched as Duo glared at him, "Is that your trademark look or something?"

"Shut up! You've already killed two people who had nothing to do with any of this... How can you be so calm? How can you show no remorse for what you've done?"

"Back there in the bathroom, you didn't seem to want to show remorse as you were about to shoot Roy Mustang... or actually _me_."

Duo struggled to sit up as he stared at Envy in a daze, "That was you? You tricked me into believing that the real Roy would actually do that to Ed? And... you did that to him?"

He suddenly found strength and stood up just as Envy was. He was swift and landed a kick right in Envy's head making the homunculus fall to the ground. Lust and Gluttony watched, but did nothing else to help. Though Envy, apparently, didn't take notice or care.

"You bastard! After all we've done for you and you're just ungrateful!" Envy was quick to return the kick to Duo along with a few extra punches. "Then again, I guess you wouldn't understand what an honor it is to join us!"

"What _honor_?" Lust finally spoke up for the first time, "All I want to do is be human again... I'm sure you do too even though you want to admit it."

> > >

**Thanks readers for all of your reviews! It's really urged me to keep on writing instead of being lazy! Also, I apologize for any spoilers these chapters have been bringing you readers of the FMA manga, and warn you now that you're going to have a lot more spoilers coming up.**

**P.S. The homunculus Wrath in this is actually the Fuhrer and not the boy from the anime version! **


	30. Email

Envy only looked even more pissed at what Lust had said and just turned away and stomped over towards the kitchen. Duo was breathing irregularly and he felt very faint, but he knew he had to stay on guard until exhaustion finally overwhelmed him. Envy disappeared for a while and the house became silent enough to hear Gluttony's stomach repeatedly growl.

"You can relax boy," Lust seemed calm, but she never really seemed that upset in Duo's opinion. "Envy will probably leave or go out to some isolated place to take out the rest of his anger. He does know better than to mess up this plan or Father will not be happy with us at all."

Duo did start to relax and soon he was dozing off as his breathing began to even out finally. Lust watched as the boy fell asleep and started to walk away with Gluttony trailing close behind. She walked off toward a bedroom and sat down so she could have some time for herself to think.

"Why would that boy be so important to us? To be quite honest, he's strong but he's also so stubborn and has yet to abandon all of his humanity... There's a chance that Greed _won't _get that body..." Lust stared out at he bright sky outside and began to wonder how long they'd be staying in Resembool.

> > >

Edward opened the door, not really caring that he was loud doing so or that Winry had snapped at him to get out. He went over to her and stared straight into her cobalt blue eyes as she hastily tried to wipe away remaining tears.

"Please just get out! I can't talk to you right now... I have a lot of work to finish before tonight!" Winry tried to sound firm and like she was ordering him out, but couldn't manage.

"Winry, I'm sure there's someone much _better _for you besides me... You know Al's always had a small crush on you, and he's also the most mature." The alchemist tried to make Winry smile and started to succeed. "Not to mention, you'll never have to get mad at him for breaking any automail since he'll be human again soon."

"Ed you're such an idiot..." Winry said with a smile and suddenly hugged Ed and took him by surprise, "You've always been so selfless, and then I tried to act like the victim..."

"I never blamed you for anything like that Winry. And I can understand how me just saying that I've had guys for lovers so unexpectedly, I know it must come as a great shock and pain for you." The blonde stood up and offered his hand to Winry, "I guess I should let you get back to work now."

As he turned to leave he could hear Winry say something faintly, "Thanks Ed..."

> > >

Heero was restless as he thrashed violently in his sleep. Once again he was dreaming of Edward and Duo, but it wasn't all as clear now as it had once been. All of it seemed as if it was just randomly thrown together, and Heero knew why when he rolled off the bed and woken up. Even through all the blur of the events, one thing he clearly remembered was that the guy Envy had taken off Duo's cross when he had first turned into the Greed guy.

"I _have _to get somebody to help me..." Heero stood up and walked out of his room and towards the living room where all the lights were turned off. The only thing that was lighting up the room was Quatre's computer which he had neglected to turn off since he never knew when he would need it next.

Heero could see that there was a message flashing on the screen that was an e-mail from the people who were working on the time machine. As he rushed to get there, he accidentally almost tripped on the vacuum cleaner which was right in the way but he didn't care as he started reading the message.

All the color drained from his face as he reread the message another three times before finally taking in what it was saying. "There are major _setbacks_... And it'll take another few weeks before it's actually finished..."

Sighing, the brunette slumped down into the chair nearby, "Will I ever see Duo again...? Even if we're not really _lovers _anymore, we'll always be best friends until the end... right?"

Everything seemed so wrong just then, after all that Heero and Duo had been through together they were now torn apart by something that nobody could truly control. It seemed wrong that fate had decided such a thing for them, but at the same time Heero realized that it was also helping them begin to see other people who may be even better for them than they had been for each other.

"How can I think that?"

"I wouldn't worry about it, Heero. Tomorrow we're going to see a fortune-fortune teller and maybe she can help straighten all of this shit out." Wufei smiled as he came down the stairs, "You should just allow your mind to rest for a while longer and let Quatre worry about what's going on with the time machine."

Heero didn't say anything, but headed immediately up the stairs anyway. His expression was solemn and only made Wufei wonder what he could do to keep the boy out of depression. After he heard the door open and close quietly, the Chinese boy went towards the kitchen.

"Then again, I didn't know that Heero was still really in love with Duo... I thought that Quatre might be able to take his place and eventually he'd heal from the accident, but I guess I was wrong with that too."

Dark eyes observed the kitchen as if expecting that distortion of the air to be there again where it had appeared before. He hadn't seen anything like it since that day, and almost wished he would sometime soon at least to confirm that he hadn't been hallucinating that time. Finally he gave up until he noticed something else that was out of place.

On the counter directly opposite of him, a clown mask lay to catch his attention. At first all he did was smirk and look the room over once again before heading towards the parlor area.

"Come out clown, I don't feel like a game of hide-and-seek."

Trowa stepped out of the shadows as quiet as a ghost with his usual air of silence around him. Without much of a greeting, Wufei led Trowa back through the kitchen and up the stairs to a spare guest bedroom as he went back to his own room.

"Are you sure you want me to go with you to the fortune-teller? Or do you think Heero would really want to see me right now?"

"Just come along with us tomorrow, and I'm sure you'll be able to make Heero feel a little better since he knows he has the three of us still." Wufei smirked, "And if you feel lonely, just come over to my room and I'd be happy to keep you a little company."

"That also reminds me, I believe that Relena may come by for a visit sometime soon. It appears she's finally heard about what happened and might either take that chance to try and get Heero back or maybe just to comfort him."

> > >

**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I'm sorry to any fans of the Winry/Ed pairing but at least I didn't bash the crap out of her, right? **

**In any case, if anyone has questions about the series or any of the chapters submit a review with your question (or just the question can be submitted) and I promise to answer it.**

**Please R & R!**


	31. Deception

Alphonse continued the whole day to search for any traces or information on Duo or the other homunculi. It appeared that after the fight, they had retreated into hiding and nobody had seen them since. There was one strange rumor though about a young woman that Al hadn't met because she had come to their town around two years ago.

She was about twenty, friendly, and usually came to town everyday to either work or buy groceries, but she hadn't been by for the last day and it worried some of the people. The younger Elric naturally helped because he knew if he hadn't, it would've bothered him all night about not helping when someone had asked him to. They told him all the places she usually hung around until, finally, he had no other choice but to check her house to see if she was there. She was sort of like the Rockbells and how Ed and Al's house used to be, it was a small distance from the actual town so he had a while of walking to get there.

As he stood on her front porch, he raised his large hand to knock, but stopped when he heard retching noises coming from inside, "Ma'am? Are you alright?"

No one replied for a moment, but then a young woman peeked out from a crack in the door. She smiled and opened the door wider to reveal her pale face and a wash rags with some disgusting looking stains on it, "How can I help you, sir?"

"Have you just been sick for the past day? The townspeople sent me up to check on you since they hadn't seen you and were worried something happened to you." Al could see inside the small house and noticed it looked too filthy for a woman to be living in, but he decided not to jump to conclusions since that would be sexist of him to say that.

"Yes, I just didn't feel well enough to walk to town..." She coughed a little, but it sounded fake, "I'll be alright, so you can just go do whatever _you _need to. Thanks for checking up on me though."

Al turned to walk away when the woman said goodbye as well.

"Bye Alphonse!"

He stopped and turned to look at her, she was smiling innocently and acting as if nothing was wrong. Thinking it was a mere coincidence, he continued walking away from the house. He kept repeatedly telling himself that it was just one of those odd moments when a complete stranger knows his name, but maybe she had heard of him from the other townspeople.

That's what he told himself the whole time as he headed home.

> > >

Envy changed back from the shape of the woman they killed and kicked Gluttony out of his way as the much larger homunculus came out of hiding, "Move it you fat fucking blob!"

Gluttony had been holding some chocolate in his hand before that had just started to melt, but thanks to Envy, he had completely smashed it between his chubby palms. His beady eyes stared for a while before he finally understood what it meant, he started to lick his hands until chocolate had smeared all across his face.

Envy watched with utter disgust, but then turned his attention towards the door and went outside. Even though it was the middle of the night, the homunculus knew he had a job to do and now was better than any other time. As he expected, nobody was even awake at this hour of night but he had been cautious anyway as he went towards the train station ticket area.

"Good evening- Oh! So you really are okay then? That boy in the armor had told us you were just sick, but I didn't believe him... How can I help you this fine evening?" The middle-aged man smiled warmly at the woman and she put on a fake smile.

"I'd like three train tickets to Central, please?" Envy tried to make her voice to sound as sweet as possible and even added a small cough, "I'm going to go visit a doctor there since no one here seems to know why I'm sick..."

"Of course! I wouldn't hesitate a second to leave here if I were you, and it is so good that you've found two others to go with you!" The man printed the tickets and handed them over to the girl who inspected them and found that he only had till tomorrow afternoon to finish up her business.

"Thank you so much," Envy turned they cobalt blue eyes he had stolen towards the Rockbell's house and glanced down at his tickets. "I'm sure my two escorts will be so happy to come with me..."

Envy knew that he would have to hurry and find a way to make Duo lose his humanity or else he would go back to Ed and help him. There wasn't much time left either as he knew that Father wanted to meet Duo, and he was surely losing his patience by now. But it was partially Lust's fault for them taking so long since she had been the one who had wanted to head to Resembool in the first place.

"I guess it's time I dropped in to say hello..." Envy couldn't disguise the eager smirk he placed on the young woman's face as he walked toward the same dirt path he had followed only yesterday.

He wasn't very worried about stealth since he was still the young woman Alphonse had checked up on that afternoon, and knocked loudly to be greeted by a short old woman. "Is Alphonse there?"

She looked like she suspected Envy as not really being the girl, but she still called for Alphonse. The younger Elric rushed to the door and seemed worried that Envy wasn't at home.

"You shouldn't have gone to all that trouble to come here!" He sounded like someone's mother instead of a boy only fourteen, "Should I come visit you tomorrow?"

"Yes, please..." She coughed a little and that was when Edward appeared behind Alphonse looking pissed off, "And you can bring your little brother too if you want."

Envy was laughing inside the whole time as Ed started yelling, but he turned away and walked back down the path, "Please come by tomorrow morning. Good night Alphonse!"

He had finally set their plan back in motion, and tomorrow would be the day where Duo's fate would be decided. Whether he completely became Greed or if he became human again and gave up Greed. If he were to choose humanity, Envy would kill him without hesitation even if Father would be angry.

"Have a nice night ma'am!" Al called from the doorway as she walked away, "I wonder if I should walk her home..."

"Al, you're too nice. If she could walk all the way over here by herself let her walk herself home." The older Elric started walking upstairs towards the room he was sharing with Alphonse, but stopped as he felt a sudden chill overtake him. The sensation almost made him collapse as he noticed it wasn't just a chill but he had started trembling all over.

"Brother? What's wrong?" Ed couldn't believe Alphonse had said that since he could probably just look at him and see what was happening, but then it had abruptly quit once Al had talked to him.

"Nothing, never mind..." He mumbled as he hurried back to their room and went to the bed.

The blonde sat in the moonlight and just stared out into the darkness of the rest of the room, he couldn't figure out what had happened on the stairs and was just trying to think everything through when something in the window caught his eye. Right by his window was a tree, and for some reason he had thought he had seen someone sitting there watching him, but dismissed it as his mind creating hallucinations.

"There was something strange about that woman... Or maybe I'm just sick from not getting enough sleep..." Edward lied down finally and just stared at the ceiling thinking about everything until he finally drifted off to sleep once again.

> > >

**Sorry for such a long wait for me to update! I just had writer's block for about three days whenever I tried to type up this chapter, but I hope it isn't too terrible. (And I think I accidentally jumped from it being in the middle of the day to night... oops...)**

**Please R & R!**

**Shari Maxwell**


	32. Date

Roy had his fingers laced together and his brow was furrowed in deep concentration as he unconsciously stared down in imaginary figure of Envy and the other homunculi Gluttony and Lust. He tried to pinpoint something about that had particularly bothered him when he began to think of Duo. There was some lingering thought that refused to reveal itself that would show _why_ the homunculi had kidnapped the boy.

The dark-haired man shifted in his chair and continued to inspect the imaginary figures, he finally gave up on whatever memory or thought that was taking care to make itself unknown. He looked out towards the midnight sky that was littered with small white stars, and then turned back to the wooden door that had remained shut all day. He had not had anyone bother him for the day while he tried to remember what similarity Duo shared with those monsters.

There was a light knock on the door that almost startled Roy out of his trance, but he didn't move an inch as Hawkeye walked in a silently shut the door. She wasn't dressed in her usual military uniform, in fact she was dressed in some casual clothes that looked suitable for a date; he just had a feeling that's what she was planning. Hawkeye's hair looked beautiful down and Roy noticed something he had never noticed before about his subordinate. Her hair was perfectly straight, there were no waves or curls that led to dead ends just one straight length that either led to an answer or to nothing at all; just as Hawkeye was herself.

Roy didn't know how the hell he thought of that.

"Colonel, you haven't had much to eat if anything at all, and it's already almost nine." She smiled, making her lips look even more welcoming as Roy stood up to take her hand. Something about the First Lieutenant had suddenly triggered his interest, something that he had always overlooked with her before, "It'll take your mind off everything that's been happening just for tonight."

Roy almost felt as sudden urge to take Hawkeye's lips with his own, but he resisted it and walked around to the other side of the desk. Hawkeye led the way to the door and she opened it for him.

"Ladies first," Roy gestured for her to go first and she only smiled once again, taking up his offer. Then he remembered that his car could only seat two people now since the back seat was cluttered with many papers and files he had to go through that night to find the missing link to Duo and whatever his memory was hiding from him.

It didn't bother him much to neglect mentioning it to Hawkeye as he headed out to the car.

> > >

Edward suddenly woke up and looked outside and guessed it was around ten or eleven o'clock. He had only been sleep for about two or three hours, but something had made him wake up. Once again, a feeling that someone was watching him overwhelmed his body but he ignored the feeling.

"It isn't very late, so Al and Winry should still be up," the blonde swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. "Why can't I get rid of this feeling...? Ever since that woman came earlier..." He shuddered as he remembered the woman's strange eyes and how the hatred in them reflected so easily off of the face of a girl who looked so innocent. "I guess you can never tell who's a two-faced bastard until they act like _that_."

He walked over to the door and didn't hear anyone talking, and when he looked out into the hall all the lights were turned out and he noticed that Al had finally taken the other guest bedroom that he should've used last night. Apparently, all three had already gone to bed but when Edward actually looked up at the clock it was already one in the morning.

Edward left the door open behind him and tried to keep his automail quiet as he descended the stairs and wandered into the kitchen and rummaged around for food. He found some left over dinner and ate it cold, not really caring how nasty it tasted. All that he really cared about was filling his stomach with _something_ that would keep his mind off the fact that he was starving.

There were some really strange things that he began to remember from his dream, there was a whole bunch of men who were screaming and begging not to be killed as a giant cable had began to unravel. The metallic sounds that almost deafened him even now in the desolate kitchen rang in his ears, and the remembered letting go of a man with messy chocolate hair and cobalt blue eyes.

Edward also remembered him saying to the man that he loved him, but then he deliberately put himself at risk to save so many other lives. It also occurred to him that he had dreamt of something from Duo's _past_, or at least the name of the man that Duo had mentioned was there.

"Just because that man Heero was there doesn't mean that I was dreaming I was Duo... That would be too weird..." The young alchemist tried to convince himself, but failed miserably at it as he was alerted by some rustling outside in the front.

It was faint, and could've been no more than a slight breeze that had moved the leaves from the tree outside his window. Edward still didn't trust that it wasn't somebody out there spying on him and Al or stalking them. It was very possible since both the Elrics were very dangerous to the homunculi then and he knew they probably wouldn't mind killing him off to make their lives easier.

As he unlocked the front door without an audible sound, and slipped around to the side of the house where he heard the noise come from. He saw a person who was completely shrouded in darkness and their face was also not visible from where Ed was standing. The blonde was at a disadvantage either way, he could finally catch the person who'd been spying on him but that person also had a good chance of being able to run since they were outside.

Edward decided to take his chances and tried to surprise the man, but he was already a step ahead of Edward and began to run before Ed even had the chance to catch him. As the blonde tried to sprint after him, the man disappeared onto a path that led to the mines that Ed and Al had often played in as children. He smirked because he thought this might give him the advantage of terrain and he thought it would be simple to lead the stalker to a dead end.

"It's time to see who you are..."

> > >

**Another late update by me! I really should learn how to update and set deadlines for myself or I'll never get this series done!**

**Anyway, I hope all you readers enjoyed it and I'd love some good or bad reviews (whatever you thought of this annoyingly short chapter).**

**Shari Maxwell**


	33. Fortuneteller

Wufei had made sure not to let Heero guess that he had arranged for them to meet with a fortune-teller, and when the four of them arrived at the place Heero did show some surprise. Ever since he read that e-mail Heero had been much moodier lately, and he also had hidden back inside his shell. Though at moments like this, not even he could hide all of what he was feeling as he stepped into the heavily scented area.

Most of the curtains were a dark maroon with lengthy golden tassels to tie them back for guests. The woman didn't seem to notice the four boys until Heero was about an arm's length away. Her make-up was heavy and almost looked as if she had intended for the stuff to remain there permanently until her misty eyes lifted from her meditative sleep to gaze into Heero's eyes. Both of them remained staring and their gazes never wavered until the fortune-teller reached out and touched Heero.

"You have been cursed with dreams and memories of another's conscience... His name is Edward Elric, am I correct?" Her skills were exceptionally powerful and almost made Wufei wonder whether this had been a good idea, but she continued and didn't allow him time to regret his choice. "But your own friend and our war hero Duo Maxwell ended up there with him? It's a strange situation and I can't think of anything like it so you've got my interest and a free reading."

"Thank you," Heero could feel himself begin to feel excited but restrained himself from showing it. "How much can you see in just this visit?"

"As much as my great powers will allow me to," the fortune-teller seemed authentic, but there even Trowa was beginning to wonder how far the woman would take her act. "What do you want me to do?"

Wufei decided to intervene this time with Quatre and Trowa right behind him, "We want you to look at everything Heero's been experiencing through his dreams, and we want you to then tell some of the future to see if we can save our friend."

"Very well... but you may not like what I tell you about your friend. There is a chance that he is already too far gone to retrieve from that world." The fortune-teller grabbed Heero's hands and then sat in her meditative state as she began to retell all that had happened, not yet seeing exactly what was going on in the present.

> > >

Edward was surprised at how agile his opponent was and how the man was easily losing him at every turn. Apparently the advantage of terrain wouldn't be enough against this guy, so the blonde resolved that he would have to use some alchemy to make the place more difficult to move around in. Yet with everything that Ed through at the stranger, the guy seemed to avoid it without even breaking a sweat.

"This guy must not be human..." The alchemist tried not to remind himself of how literal the term may be as he rounded another corner and came to a dead end, "But I saw him go right over h-"

He only managed a couple of steps before the supposedly stone floor caved in and led to a place that was even farther down that the underground caves he had been wondering around in. It made him wonder how deep this place could truly go, and afterward wished that he hadn't even pondered on the thought.

Just as he stood up and expected to be completely lost or trapped, and somehow expected that he would lose his suspect was surprised to see the figure standing only sixty feet away. Yet he couldn't find any distinct features about the being because it was still covered by the shadows. Nobody could know the place as well as he did unless they had lived there just as he had, but who was this?

"I can't think of anyone who would hear you scream all the way down here... So shall we end this now?" The voice was unmistakable as it was the voice of his lover, but at the same time not. Once again Greed had taken control.

> > >

Their date had gone fairly well, and it had certainly taken his mind off of all the homunculi business. Nothing seemed more effective than the way Hawkeye had even blushed a little when he complimented her at the restaurant. The day had definitely turned to a more positive direction.

It wasn't until he had actually gotten inside of his apartment that he noticed that something was out of place. There was a strange scent in the air that almost made him feel like it would suffocate him... Then he realized it really _was_ suffocating him!

"Shit-!" He managed to exclaim as he clutched his throat.

The door was so close, yet he couldn't make his fingers close around the handle and it seemed to be an impossible task. As he finally forced himself to grab onto the handle and turn it to escape, he could hear something crackle and knew exactly what that would mean. It meant something somewhere nearby had sparked, and soon there would be flames everywhere.

And Roy would be caught in the middle.

> > >

**Hope you all enjoyed the fic! I know this one isn't really as good as most of the chapters, but I'm almost done with Ch. 34 and it should be really great! In any case, I hope all of you readers are still really into the story, but I've just noticed how the number of readers has dwindled since the first chapter. **

**For all you readers who are still interested, thanks!**

**Please R & R!**

**Shari Maxwell**


	34. Games

"It appears that you may have a chance indeed to save your friend Duo, but it can only happen on one night in the coming month. Not to mention your friend must be willing to return to our time, so he may not come back if he does not want to. All I can say is to be careful in what you decide Heero Yuy," the fortune-teller's stony eyes had a sudden shine to them as she looked at Heero. "Though I am sure the love you share will bring him back to you safely."

Heero didn't speak as he was now uncertain if he could still retrieve Duo. The woman had said he must come _willingly_, but from the way Edward seemed to bring him so much happiness (except now it was pain) because of his love for the blonde.

"I understand, thank you."

Wufei, Quatre, and Trowa exchanged worried glances as they knew the indifferent tone of voice meant that Heero was really concerned as well. Sometimes it meant he also knew it was a hopeless cause to whatever he was trying to do, though it never meant he would give up without a fight. The three knew he wouldn't give up on Duo, no matter _what_ he had seen in his dreams.

"Let's go," Heero turned away from the woman and trying to mask the uneasiness he was feeling now. "I forgot to ask... what day can I find him? And where should I go?"

"All you must do is wait outside until it is midnight on the next night of a full moon." She gave him a vague smile before turning away and hearing the blonde boy wonder out loud why it always had to be a full moon. "I shall answer your question young blonde, it is always a full moon because everything will connect to one another on the full moon at midnight."

The four teens walked out after the last cryptic remark, and Quatre was still blushing from embarrassment as they left the tent.

> > >

Roy couldn't remember hardly anything that had happened when he had escaped the apartment, except that he remembered seeing King or Fuhrer Bradley _inside_. Which didn't make any sense either... Why would Fuhrer Bradley be inside his apartment with that gas on? And _not_ being affected by it?

The only tangible proof he had that the Fuhrer had truly been there, and it had not just been his hallucination, was the wound in his shoulder where a sword had tried to pierce him. That and the long mark it left behind all along his collar bone; luckily that part was a deep injury but result of Roy trying to escape. Thankfully that was the only thing besides him getting dizzy from all of that gas.

That's when his mind suddenly remembered the noises he had heard inside, the crackling of flames that were about to start a huge fire. He decided the only thing he could do was get someone nearby to call to put the fire out, since he was obviously in no shape to do it. He just hoped his neighbor wasn't going to keep their door locked because Roy was on the other side. Roy hoped that the man knew that his life would be in danger if he refused to listen.

> > >

"Stop fucking around Duo... Force this guy aside and talk to me, so we can go back to how things were." Edward was wondering if Duo was even able to hear him anymore, it didn't seem to be the case as Greed just let out a low chuckle.

"Maybe you don't understand this Fullmetal, but this is _my_ body now. That brat is just fortunate that I haven't completely shoved him out of the picture, but then again, he has a strong will that he denies what I want from him," the brunette grinned to reveal unnaturally sharp teeth, "but maybe he'll surrender if I kill his lover."

It was a challenge to fight him, and Edward knew it without even thinking about it. But could he really beat the living shit out of the guy he had fallen for? All he had to do was remind himself it was Greed speaking, Greed acting, and Greed playing with his mind and emotions. But it wouldn't just be Greed who was dealt the damage, it would be Duo too.

"I'm not gonna kick your ass... but that's only because I care about the fact that my lover is still there." Ed pushed off the ground and got to his feet, "I know he's there somewhere even if you want to pretend he's not."

It seemed that had irritated Greed into finally attacking first which Ed narrowly dodged as he ran past him, and going even farther into the unknown regions of the caves. He wasn't sure how deep or how far these caves would go, but he wasn't about to fight against Greed and his Ultimate Shield. That was practically a death wish if you weren't truly prepared for it.

"You can run pipsqueak, but you'll reach a dead end sooner or later." Greed's voice echoed off the walls and Ed had almost turned around at the pipsqueak comment; thankfully he had ignored it just this once. "That's when you'll get exactly what's coming to you..."

"DON'T CALL ME PIPSQUEAK!" Ed resisted the urge to clap his hands together and attack Duo's body as he continued farther into the darkness of the unknown. Not really caring which direction he took as he turned into a smaller tunnel, he hoped that this would lead to some kind of exit where he would be able to see again.

Greed chuckled darkly, slowly falling and making sure his footsteps were loud enough to be heard, "Come out, come out where ever you are... This will be quite an interesting game of hide and seek..."

> > >

**So what did you all think of the chapter? I believe that their quality is starting to improve a lot from when I first started writing. And I finally managed to update quicker than two or three weeks! YAY!**

**Please R & R!**

**Shari Maxwell**


	35. Challenges

Roy sighed as he watched his apartment burn to the ground along with some very valuable possessions, but it was nothing that he couldn't later replace. The only thing that as important was that he was alive and barely injured from the experience, and now he knew that the homunculi were making their move. But which one of them was still around to wait until he was out of his apartment long enough for them to make it into a deadly trap?

Surely he remembered that Ed went after the three called Envy, Lust, and Gluttony, but what other homunculi were there? Roy never had the chance to really sit down and contemplate, because he was rushed to the hospital to see if he was alright even though it was obvious he was. There was no one to see as the Fuhrer sighed disappointedly as he surveyed the debris that was once the Flame Alchemist's home.

"It seems that everything is going according to plan, though I do sincerely wish that it had been a bit more interesting to watch..." The man smiled to his subordinate as he got back into his car.

> > >

Alphonse decided to check in on his older brother, since it had been unusually quiet that night. As much as it pained him to say, Alphonse was used to Edward's whimpers, sobs, and sometimes even screams as nightmares plagued him at night. There were times that his brother was blessed with a night of peace from such horrid reminders of their past, but those were few and far between.

"Brother...?" He was greeted by silence and an empty bed, but there were no visible signs of struggle or of any escaping through the window. Though when he heard a light creak that was the front door as it pulled against it's hinges, Al knew his brother had left the house. It was then that he head a discreet giggle that echoed in the silent house.

"Who's there?" Alphonse knew he could easily find the intruder if he did a little searching for traces of where they were hiding, but it was apparently unnecessary as the young woman from earlier emerged from the darkness. "Why are you here at this time of night?"

"I'm here to challenge you to a fight, and I'm expecting a good one since you're the pipsqueak's younger brother." The girl's voice changed as did her appearance to show Envy in his true form, "Shall we go outside? Or would you prefer to just endanger your little friends the Rockbells?"

Al descended down the stairs and followed the homunculus outside to where they had plenty of open space, not to mention that he didn't want to hurt the only other family he had besides his brother by being reckless. It had probably been a bad idea to accept Envy's challenge in the first place, but if he hadn't he was sure the monster wouldn't have had any remorse of killing off more than just two innocent people in Resembool.

"What can you accomplish by fighting me? Or is that another one of your secrets that I'll have to get out of you the hard way?" Alphonse had a feeling that his threat was pretty much empty, but the homunculus showed faint signs of weariness in his smug expression.

"My purpose is for me to know, and only for me to know. I can't seem to understand why you're so curious to pry into our business anyway... Or are you nervous of what we're doing to your poor brother?"

Envy didn't give Alphonse enough time to reply before lashing out at him, but Alphonse easily parried the blow to return one of his own. His landed right on his intended target, and sent him back a few feet. Before Envy had even fully recovered from being thrown about twenty feet, he was already running back to attack Al.

This battle could go on for hours, but Alphonse knew he had to end it quickly and get the palm tree to tell him where his brother was and what they were doing. Or planning on doing to him.

> > >

"You should just come out Ed, unless you feel like making my night by actually making this _fun_. Let me set up this little challenge for you... If you can escape here, I promise I won't chase you or tell the other homunculi that I let you go." Greed laughed as he turned into another dark tunnel when Ed's voice reverberated throughout the entire underground.

"And what if you win?"

"Well if I win," he chuckled lightly, "you and your brother are going to finally becoming your destiny as our 'human sacrifices'. That's equivalent trade, isn't it?"

"You're morals are pretty fucked up if you consider that _equivalence_, but I'll accept your terms nonetheless..." Edward urged himself to keep his big mouth shut as he turned off into another deserted corridor of stone.

The blonde knew he was now caught in Greed's web, but he suddenly had an idea of how to lure out Duo. As he began formulating everything he would do, he stopped off into a small dead end that was pitch black, and not even a homunculus could see into it. He knelt down and readied himself for when Greed would walk past him, and in that instant would capture him.

Just as the Greed was about to pass by this small area without even glancing at it, Ed used his alchemy to form a giant stone hand that completely restrained him. So far Ed's plan was working well, and as he stepped out of the gloom he had easily blended into with his dark clothes, Greed smirked and began to laugh.

"Brilliant plan, Ed. Keep me here while you escape and then you will win the challenge without having to worry too much about a time limit." Greed got a look of surprise as Ed shook his head.

"That'd be a pretty good idea if I was a coward, but I have a different idea in mind." Ed looked into Greed's stolen amethyst eyes with his intense gold ones, "All I can ask Duo is... What do you think Heero would say if he saw you like this? Acting weak and giving in without even fighting this wuss?"

Ed smiled as he saw the malicious eyes of Greed revert back to Duo's perpled ones.

"Welcome back."

"It's good to see you too, but if you wouldn't mind..." Duo gestured towards the stone hand and Edward immediately deconstructed it with his alchemy. "Thanks, that makes me feel better..."

> > >

**Finally! Duo's back and kicking! (I was even getting a bit frustrated with myself that I kicked Duo out of the way for so long.)**

**I hope this chapter was good becaue I did work really hard on it (even if it doesn't seem that way) to make it absolutely perfect. **

**I can also assure all the readers that this series will end around chapter 50 something, so we still have quite a few chapters to go. **

**Please R& R!**

**Shari Maxwell**


	36. Confident

Alphonse was still continuing his fight with Envy when the homunculi suddenly stopped and sneered, "I guess we'll have to schedule another play date, but for now I should get going before the Pipsqueak gets here."

Ed came from the behind the bushes with Duo beside him and they both stopped to stare at Al as he still stood in his fighting stance. None of them spoke as Al relaxed his metal body so he was standing normally again, "Brother, where have you been? I got up to check on you when I found your bed was empty... and when I heard something outside I thought it was you and so I had to fight Envy."

"Envy actually came here?" Ed was slightly shocked but more furious than anything else at the thought of those good-for-nothing homunculi getting so close to his family. If Al wasn't such a great hand-to-hand fighter, there's no telling what he would've done to the Rockbells. "I guess that means we should be leaving soon if we don't want to endanger Aunt Pinako or Winry anymore, but first we have to make sure that Envy and the other homunculi are out of Resembool first."

"I have a feeling they won't stick around for much longer though..." Alphonse pondered, "They have nothing left to keep here and I'm sure their main purpose isn't to injure Winry or Aunt Pinako."

Edward was silent, he couldn't figure if this was just Al's intuition or if Envy had said anything to his younger brother. Either way, he decided it was best to believe in what the younger Elric said.

Duo suddenly yawned loudly and broke up whatever tension remained in the air. "Why don't we just get some sleep before we start thinking too hard? I'm really exhausted after all of this and plus you two are gonna need a lot of sleep so you guys can think up a way to get rid of my other personality."

Both Elric brothers looked at Duo and tried not to think of this new problem on their hands.

> > >

The next morning as the three boys arrived at the train station they heard a rumor of people who sounded like the homunculi had boarded an extremely early train. With some relief (and shock at how accurate Al's words had been) they boarded another train to Central.

Duo stared out at the window since he hadn't been able to the first time. He loved the countryside and was beginning to wonder if he would ever make it back home, or if there was still anyone even waiting for him there.

The brunette knew that Heero could've moved on to someone else as easily as Duo thought he had with Edward, but he couldn't tell whether he wanted to stay here with Edward or go back to Heero.

> > >

There was only two more days until the full moon, and that would be the night Heero would bring back Duo. As long as they'd been away, Heero couldn't bear to not see the braided boy at least one more time.

"Quatre, do you think it'll work successfully? Or do you think that fortune-teller was just full of crap?" Heero watched as the blonde carefully contemplated his answer before saying anything.

"Well… all I can honestly say is don't get your hopes up too high Heero. If we can't then I don't want you to be too upset, but I'm pretty confidant that he'll come back."

Heero didn't respond to what Quatre had said. It was too hard to imagine him failing to bring back his lover, but he also knew if he couldn't that Edward would probably help Duo forget all about him.

It was a thought that angered Heero, yet at the same time relieved Heero that Duo wouldn't have to dwell on the past forever.

Everything was just too complicated for words now, but as Quatre slipped an arm around Heero he suddenly felt better.

> > >

**Sorry for the short chapter, but it appears I'm probably going to bring this fic to a close sooner than I expected. But I do hope that all of my readers did enjoy this series and all of the chapters, though I know that some of them could use some serious work! **

**In any case, if anyonehas any questions, comments, or criticisms (no flames please!) just say so on the review!**

**Please R & R!**

** Shari Maxwell**


	37. Decision

Edward watched Duo as he slumped against the window, dreaming of something that Ed wasn't quite able to tell if it was good of bad. But it seemed he wouldn't wake up anytime soon. So the alchemist had finally decided to consult Alphonse.

"Al, do you think he really hates being apart from that other guy Heero?" He hated feeling like this was one of the most decisions Al could ever make in his life. If he said yes, that would probably mean that he still loved Heero and that Ed had been his rebound. And if he said no, that meant he really did love Edward.

"Well brother… I think he does. Just being away from everyone he knew and the things he knew. His lifestyle has changed so rapidly here, and I don't think being kidnapped is very fun for him either." Al tried not to hurt his brother's feelings, but it was the truth.

The truth was such a cruel thing.

"Oh… then maybe we should help him find a way back…" Ed looked over at the brunette and felt used. "So he can get back to _Heero_…"

Duo tried not to make any odd movements as he continued pretending to sleep.

> > >

The three of them arrived in Central close to the afternoon, and Duo immediately went to a dorm room they were assigned. He felt too tired to deal with interrogation or questions from that colonel. In a way he felt too tired to do anything but sleep for another few hours, and he wasn't even hungry. This made him wonder just how human he still was, if he didn't even want to eat something after a day or two without food.

Ed and Al didn't question him, but they went to see Colonel Mustang without Duo. The brunette barely managed to open the door, and after he finally did he slammed it shut and locked it behind him.

The bed invited him over, and he gratefully accepted. It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but it would do for a short nap. Duo didn't bother to take off his boots or his dirty clothes, and he knew later Alphonse would probably wash the sheets before anyone else used them.

"Why the hell did this have to happen…?" Duo asked the room, and when nothing decided to suddenly answer him he angrily turned towards the wall. "What the hell did I do so wrong to deserve this? All I did was try to save people, and I thought that was a good thing."

It wasn't long after that that Duo fell asleep. And he finally had a dream he could enjoy. It was a dream of being back home where he belonged, and finally back with his true love.

> > >

Quatre watched as another day passed and he knew that tonight would be the night they would bring Duo back. As soon as it was midnight they would bring him back home and where he would remain with them for the rest of his life.

This time he knew he wouldn't let any experiments that dangerous get out of hand again either. At least not with Duo there, since he seemed to be the one with the worst luck when those things happened.

"Just wait a little longer Duo… You'll be home soon…"

> > >

**One more chapter to go! I promise I'll get it out by next week at the latest. But with school starting up, I need to finish this series since I only started it like a year ago... Anyway, I hope everyone liked this chapter.**

**Please R & R!**

**Shari Maxwell**


	38. Resolution

There was a song lightly playing in the background as Heero walked past Quatre's room. It sounded like Fur Elise by Beethoven, but he couldn't quite be sure. Though he was certain the song was one of his favorites by the composer, and it made him remember what Duo had once told him not long before he had disappeared.

He recalled how Duo had always wanted to be able to play that song on the piano, though he had never told anyone besides Heero of his secret desire.

"Only a few more hours…" He reminded himself, "I only have to wait a little longer…"

Wufei wasn't with them, he said he was going to prepare for Duo's arrival from the other place. They all had decided he'd probably want new clothes and probably just to rest once he came back, but Duo was weird sometimes so they weren't sure exactly what he would want.

"Don't worry Heero, I know Duo still cares for you… and I'm sure he'll want to get back here as soon as possible." Quatre put a comforting hand on Heero's shoulder, but his only reply was Heero shrugging him off.

"I know he wants back here. The way that Edward guy has been taking care of him, it's no surprise."

Quatre smiled to himself, finally the Heero he remembered was back.

----------------------

"So this whole issue is resolved then?" Roy asked skeptically of his most trouble-making State Alchemist. "Then we've all completely agreed on all of these cases that these were the homunculi's faults?"

Edward knew he was referring back to when Duo had first come, and the incident in the bathroom between Edward and the fake Roy. Both of the Elric brothers nodded in mutual agreement.

"I know we were wrong Colonel, and I apologize _again_ for that, but something's been bothering me lately. Something just seems off today…" The blonde glanced out at the darkening sky, and saw as the sunset turned the clouds from a brilliant purple to a velvety shade of black.

"Well Ed, I'm sure that most of your nights aren't what people would consider _normal _by any means, but is there something planned for you?"

"Brother and I haven't planned anything for tonight besides resting here at Headquarters." Alphonse interjected.

"Very well then, you two just rest up for tonight and then we'll bring Duo in for interrogation in the morning. I'm sure he's already resting in the dorm room?"

Ed nodded, and then stood up. "I'm gonna head back now. Those train rides aren't nearly as comfortable as these beds are gonna feel."

----------------------

Duo's dream had been wonderful, but he was woken up as Edward and Alphonse entered the dorm room. He sat up in bed, and Ed smiled wearily at Duo before lying down in the other bed. This time Ed and Al had gotten a room with three beds so that each one of them could have a bed of their own.

"How was Mustang?" Duo asked nonchalantly, as if he really wasn't interested in how the colonel was. But he was worried that things hadn't gotten fully patched up after that whole 'Envy' incident in the bathroom.

"Besides being the bastard he always is? Fine. We explained everything that happened in Resembool, and everything was resolved."

"That's good. I'm just glad he's not the type to hold a grudge."

Edward snorted, "Oh believe me, he is when he wants to."

"Brother I'm gonna go see Lieutenant Havoc and Hawkeye, and see what's been going on in Central that the colonel didn't tell us about." Alphonse knew that the two were itching to talk about more private matters, and that him being there wouldn't allow them to talk. "See you later."

Duo and Ed watched Alphonse leave while saying weak goodbyes, but after the door closed neither of them said a word or even dared to look at each other.

"So you were awake…?"

"Yeah, I was." Duo could feel his temper rising, but he controlled himself. "I don't understand what you have against Heero, but… I do like you a lot Edward, but I can't say I love you like I do Heero. We've been through so much together, so much I haven't really told you about… like the war…"

Duo's voice faltered after mentioning the war, and it did make Ed wonder about Duo's life with Heero. He hadn't really talked much about the war either besides mentioning he was a hero in that war, and that he had fought in that war with his friends.

Which brought a sudden realization to the blonde alchemist; Duo had been a war hero at only fourteen of fifteen. That suddenly made him feel sympathy for Duo, he had been through so much from getting in a war to being separated from everything he knows.

Maybe Edward didn't know anything about Duo, nothing about his past anyway.

"I guess it isn't fair to treat you like that when I don't even know what happened. It still bothers me that you led me on though… and now you suddenly decided that Heero is the one for you again." Edward's golden eyes locked with Duo's. "My only question is… why? Why is it that you supposedly loved me, and then dump me for someone who you might never see again?"

"You just don't get it do you! _Heero_ understands why I am the way I am, and he understands what's wrong with me. I know you've really tried Ed, and I really appreciate it… but I just can't replace him. I tried to, and I failed."

Duo looked down at the floor, and looked defeated. Everything he said made Duo feel stupider as he practically shouted his problems at Ed. He had always known that he was somewhat mentally unstable, but while he was in Amestris he had been able to keep himself together.

Suddenly the world felt too heavy on his shoulders, and he felt like he was crumbling.

"Duo… we all have problems… and I really did try to understand you. It's just a lot more difficult when you won't let me in." Edward stood up, and walked over to Duo's bed.

"I never wanted to let you in, because I was always hoping I could go back… but it's hopeless now, isn't it? It's been too long and I'll probably never be able to get back." Duo could feel tears in his eyes.

Edward never got the chance to try and console Duo as he was once again enveloped in a light. The same exact one that had once brought him to Amestris.

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**I guess I actually have one more chapter and then this story is done. In a way I'm kind of glad that I can finally end this, but I have so many more ideas too... If anyone is interested I might write a sequel to this, but I'm not sure yet. **

**Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. (And sorry again for the wait!)**

**Please R & R !**

**Shari Maxwell**


	39. End

Heero couldn't believe his eyes as he watched Duo appear before him, perfectly unharmed but he looked terrified and confused by what was happening. It didn't take long for Heero to run over to Duo and try to calm him down.

"Where am I? Where's Ed?" Duo's amethyst eyes were looking at the room and all of its contents as if they weren't supposed to be there. Then his eyes finally looked at the hand that was holding his, and then he followed the arm to the body attached.

"Heero…? Is this… a dream?" Duo's eyes filled with tears and it surprised Heero, it wasn't often he caught the former pilot of Deathscythe crying. "Please tell me this is real… that this time it really is you."

"Duo, you don't have to worry anymore. You're home, and you're safe from whatever was in that other world." Heero took Duo in his arms and just held him as everything sunk in.

Duo suddenly noticed how Heero smelled really good, he sort of smelled like cinnamon. He also noticed how he really needed a bath, but he was too exhausted to take one. It occurred to him that he would probably never see Edward again, and it also occurred to him how upset that made him feel that the last thing he had told Edward was how badly he had wanted back here.

"Heero… can I get some sleep? This is all a big shock and I just need to sleep and then I'll feel better in the morning." Heero nodded to Duo's request and began to get up, but suddenly Duo stopped him by pulling on his shirt.

"I didn't mean you had to leave."

Heero smiled and laughed, "So when are you gonna tell me what happened when you were in that world?"

"Later… I promise to explain everything later. And then you can too." Duo smiled, and finally kissed Heero on the lips before pulling the other pilot into bed to curl up beside him.

-------------------

Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei had seen the faint flashes of light and heard voices in Heero's room. The three of them stood outside patiently until the voices went completely silent, and that's when Wufei decided to look in to make sure it really was Duo.

Sure enough Heero and Duo were curled up in the bed, both were asleep and both looked too happy for words.

"Make sure we pay that fortune-teller extra for helping us." Wufei quietly closed the door before wandering back to his own room. Quatre smiled as Trowa followed the blonde back to his room.

Finally all was back to normal and hopefully it would stay that way.

-------------------

Edward was still in shock of what had happened. All he had remembered was some light and then Duo wasn't there anymore. Alphonse had returned to the room shortly after Duo's disappearance and even asked Ed where he was.

"I don't know where he is… he just disappeared in a light that was just like when he came." Edward wouldn't sit on Duo's bed anymore, he treated it as if he would disappear if he sat there too.

"Are you sure he didn't blind you with something and then just run away?" Al was hoping that Duo was still with them, because whether he acted like it or not he had grown attached to Duo.

"I'm positive… let's just sleep." Edward smiled a little and then sat on his own bed. He wasn't sure whether he was just giving up or if he just felt too defeated to search for Duo.

"I'm sure he finally got his wish to go back home."

-------------------

_End_

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**Hey readers and fans, this is the last chapter. I hope it wasn't too lame and I hope I didn't leave too much open, but I might plan a sequel so any questions that weren't answered will most likely be explained if this sequel is ever written. **

**So I'm wondering how many of you guys would like a sequel? Though it probably won't be as many chapters, I will try to make longer chapters and write more frequently, but only if you guys want a sequel.**

**Please R & R !**

**Hope you enjoyed the series, and thank you for reading!**

**Shari Maxwell**


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